Objectives of the service
The maritime domain faces increasing challenges due to vessels operating without reliable identification and the growing occurrence of satellite navigation interference. Users such as offshore operators, maritime security organisations, and authorities lack a consistent and reliable situational picture, particularly in remote areas where monitoring capabilities are limited and situational awareness largely depends on cooperative tracking systems such as AIS.
BlueSentinel addresses these gaps by detecting vessels and identifying irregular behaviour through independent sensing, even when AIS signals are switched off or manipulated. This enables the identification of non-cooperative vessels and supports a more reliable situational picture in areas with limited surveillance, improving operational awareness and decision-making. The service can support a range of users, including offshore operators in monitoring nearby vessel activity and shipping operators in responding to navigation issues caused by unreliable positioning signals, without being limited to these use cases.
The service is designed as a modular and flexible solution based on distributed sensors that can be deployed both as fixed installations and on moving platforms such as buoys or unmanned systems. To enable operation in remote areas, the sensors communicate via non-terrestrial networks, ensuring data transmission where no terrestrial connectivity is available. The system is cost-efficient, scalable, and interoperable, allowing integration of external data sources as well as deployment within existing systems.
Users and their needs
BlueSentinel is intended for users who require reliable maritime awareness in environments where existing monitoring is limited or unreliable. This includes operators of offshore infrastructure, organisations responsible for maritime safety or environmental protection, and companies managing vessel operations. In many cases, these users rely on fragmented data sources or systems that depend on vessels transmitting accurate information, which creates gaps in visibility, particularly in offshore and remote areas.
While these challenges are global in nature, the focus of this project is on European users and stakeholders.
Across these user groups, the user needs can be summarized as:
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Reliable detection of vessels independent of cooperative tracking systems
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Identification of irregular or suspicious maritime behaviour
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Improved situational awareness in offshore and remote areas
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Resilience against disrupted or unreliable positioning signals
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Integration with existing operational systems and data sources
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Cost-efficient solutions adaptable to different deployment scenarios
A key challenge is to deliver reliable detection and situational awareness in environments with limited connectivity, while ensuring that the system can be flexibly deployed and integrated into the diverse operational contexts.
Service/ system concept
BlueSentinel provides users with an enhanced maritime situational picture, either as a standalone service or by integrating its data into existing operational systems, depending on user requirements. The service improves awareness of vessel activity and supports decision-making in safety-critical situations. This includes preventing and analysing incidents, detecting irregular or potentially illegal activities, and enabling faster and more informed responses during search and rescue operations.
The system is based on a distributed sensor network combined with a proprietary detection approach. It enables the localisation of vessels independently of cooperative tracking systems and compares detected positions with available AIS data. Additional data sources, such as satellite-based observations, can be integrated to further enhance the situational picture. Fixed sensors can also detect disruptions in satellite navigation signals, allowing the system to identify affected areas. Even in the presence of manipulated GNSS signals, the system can detect vessel positions, supporting more reliable navigation.
Space Added Value
Two space-based technologies are used: satellite navigation signals (GNSS) and, most importantly, non-terrestrial networks (NTN). GNSS signals are used to assess positioning reliability and detect interference such as jamming or spoofing. In addition, satellite-based Earth Observation data and satellite AIS can be integrated to further complement the situational picture.
The key enabler is NTN, which provides communication with distributed sensors in offshore and remote areas where no terrestrial networks are available. This makes it possible to monitor areas that are otherwise difficult to observe—exactly where the service delivers its greatest value.
Current Status
The Kick-Start phase was successfully completed, confirming strong industry interest and a promising business case. Stakeholder engagement helped refine key use cases and service requirements, ensuring alignment with real operational needs.
On the technical side, substantial progress was achieved. Sensors were equipped with NTN communication and successfully tested, demonstrating stable connectivity and data exchange between distributed sensors and the backend under engineering conditions. The results provided valuable insights into system performance, communication behaviour and design optimisation, significantly increasing confidence in the overall approach and its applicability in remote environments.
The next phase focuses on validation in a target environment. This includes deployment on a moving platform and testing in a remote area. In addition to communication, detection capabilities with moving sensors will be assessed, along with algorithm performance in multi-target scenarios. The objective is to verify reliable system performance under realistic operational conditions.
Prime Contractor(s)
