Intelligent autonomous systems for safeguarding operations and infrastructure at sea

The geopolitical situation has changed in recent years, influencing the safety and security of critical infrastructure. The damages to the North Stream and Balticconnector gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea demonstrated that the risks are serious, with impacts to the energy supply to Europe. Researchers at NTNU have therefore initiated the Safeguard project where the aim is to enable patrolling robots in the ocean that live on the seabed and inspect and monitor subsea installations. The objective of Safeguard is to develop intelligent autonomous systems and supervisory risk control for surveillance and inspection of critical infrastructure and production in the ocean. The partners in the Safeguard project are the energy companies Equinor and Vår Energi, the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI), and the Department of Marine Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Hence, the collaboration combines practical know-how and scientific experience. Three PhD students are funded by the project. The research work in the project focuses on how to develop efficient surveillance systems for critical infrastructures, pushing forward solutions for long endurance operations in the ocean. Heterogeneous autonomous systems enable extensive data collection, which makes it possible to inspect and intervene in cost-efficient manners, and to perform continuous, dull-dirty-dangerous operations with less dependence on human operators. Successful missions in a harsh environment like the ocean, requires improved safety, intelligence, and operational capabilities through optimized observation platform systems and supervisory risk control.

Securing critical infrastructures, production assurance, efficient risk management, and reliable monitoring and communication in vast and remote areas are more important than ever. The risks are changing dramatically, driven by climate change and the geopolitical situation. The recent sabotage of the North Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea demonstrated the vulnerability of critical infrastructures in the ocean, the negative consequences for the energy supply and Europe´s economy. To mitigate these risk challenges, this project will develop technology solutions for intelligent autonomous systems and robotic organizations in persistent long-range safeguarding operations, realizing a patrolling surveillance system for the critical infrastructures in the ocean. Autonomous systems enable extensive data collection, surveillance, inspection, and intervention in the ocean due to cost efficiency, and the possibility for performing continuous and dull-dirty-dangerous operations with less dependence on human operators. These attributes make autonomous systems desirable for robotic organizations performing operations to detect, map, monitor, inspect, and protect critical ocean infrastructures and the environment, i.e., extensive safeguarding operations pushing endurance capabilities. Successful missions in the unstructured and harsh ocean, however, requires improved safety, intelligence, and operational capabilities through optimized observation platform systems and supervisory risk control, which is addressed in this project. SAFEGUARD constitutes a unique partnership between industry and academia, i.e., Equinor, Vår Energi, the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI), and the Department of Marine Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).