Safeguarding critical infrastructures, production systems, risk management, and robust monitoring and communication in vast and remote ocean areas are more important than ever. 

The sabotage of Nord Stream's and Balticconnector gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland showed the world that the geopolitical risk picture has changed dramatically. What are scientists doing to respond to the new geopolitical picture?

To tackle these challenges, a research project called SAFEGUARD is underway.

The aim is to enable autonomous robots to patrol the ocean. The project will develop intelligent autonomous systems to monitor and inspect critical infrastructure and production in the ocean.

Among other things, the research will investigate how risk management can contribute to developing safer and more efficient autonomous systems.

Aim

This project will develop technological solutions for intelligent autonomous systems and robotic organizations in persistent long-range safeguarding operations, realizing a patrolling surveillance system for the critical ocean infrastructures.

Autonomous systems make it possible to collect large amounts of data. It enables effective monitoring, inspection, and intervention, and it becomes easier to carry out tedious, dirty, and dangerous tasks with less dependence on people.

To ensure mission success, we must make the robots even more intelligent and risk-aware. We want to push forward solutions for long-endurance operations in the ocean.

Project Manager and Principal Scientist

• Professor Ingrid Bouwer Utne

Principal Scientists

• Professor Martin Ludvigsen
• Professor Asgeir J. Sørensen
• Professor Oscar Pizarro

3 +1 PhD candidates 

• Thale E. Fink
• Leonard F.T. Günzel
• Enio Krizman
• Jakob M. Odenwald (associated PhD candidate)

Partners

Collaborating partners in SAFEGUARD are Equinor, Vår Energi, the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI), and the Department of Marine Technology at NTNU.

• Equinor
• Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)
• NTNU IMT
• Vår energi 

Funding and duration

The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway (NFR) Petromaks 2 - program, and co-funded by the industry partners, Equinor & Vår Energi. Duration of the project is from 1 September 2023 – 31 August 2027. Project number: 344166.