Transforming Maritime Safety Through Innovation
The OCEAN Project is investigating and researching ways to significantly improve maritime safety by equipping mariners and all ocean users with the power of near real-time data to help navigate around hard-to-see hazards. These include ship-whale collisions, floating containers, and other hazardous debris that pose risks to vessel.
By leveraging innovative technologies and data-driven insights, the project aims to enhance situational awareness, allowing mariners to take proactive measures to safeguard human life ,operational efficiency and environmental protection.
This EU Horizon Europeco-funded (with the UK) initiative is a collaborative effort that unites leading experts in navigation, ecology, sensor technology, and risk management from seven European countries: Norway, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, and the UK. The project fosters a multidisciplinary approach to maritime safety, ensuring that scientific advancements translate into practical, real-world applications.
Key focus areas include developing advanced hydrophone grids for underwater monitoring, integrating predictive models to anticipate hazards, and AI refined satellite imaging techniques to identify potential risks. These innovations work in tandem to create a comprehensive, near real-time hazard detection and alerting system that seamlessly integrates into existing maritime navigation infrastructure.
A core principle of the OCEAN Project is human-centred design, ensuring that all solutions are practical, intuitive, and easy to integrate into existing maritime operations. By prioritising user-friendly tools and interfaces, the project empowers mariners with actionable insights that support informed decision-making without adding unnecessary complexity to their workflows.
The OCEAN Project’s mission is clear: enhance navigational safety while preserving marine life and minimising economic losses. The project is paving the way for a more resilient and sustainable maritime industry through international collaboration and state-of-the-art technology, ensuring that vessels and their crews can operate safely in an increasingly complex ocean environment.
Tackling Whale Strikes and Floating Hazards
Ship strikes are a leading cause of whale fatalities worldwide, and floating containers pose serious dangers to vessels of all sizes. The OCEAN Project aims to mitigate these threats by integrating cutting-edge technology, providing mariners with real-time alerts and actionable insights.
Key solutions include:
• Hydrophone data: Detects underwater marine mammal activity.
• Satellite imagery: Identifies drifting containers and marine life.
• Predictive models: Helps forecast potential hazards.
The OCEAN Project enhances situational awareness by seamlessly integrating these technologies into existing navigational tools, allowing mariners to make informed decisions that balance safety with conservation.
Accessible Solutions for All Mariners
The OCEAN Project’s innovations are designed for accessibility and scalability. Users can adopt these tools without requiring specialised infrastructure or training, whether independent sailors, small vessel operators, or part of a large maritime organisation.
• Ease of Use: Intuitive tools are available on standard devices.
• Scalability: Suitable for both individual vessels and large fleets.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Free applications like the OCEAN Reporting App ensure wide accessibility.
Key Innovations Driving Change
OCEAN Reporting App
The OCEAN Project’s innovations are designed for accessibility and scalability. Users can adopt these tools without requiring specialised infrastructure or training, whether independent sailors, small vessel operators, or part of a large maritime organisation.
• Ease of Use: Intuitive tools are available on standard devices.
• Scalability: Suitable for both individual vessels and large fleets.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Free applications like the OCEAN Reporting App ensure wide accessibility.
Integrated Data Streams
The ENHI system processes and shares technology agnostic data and has been tested and deomonatrated with:
• Predicted whale presence from habitat models.
• Passive acoustic detections of marine mammals.
• Satellite imagery-based hazard detection.
• Real-time observations reported by mariners.
Advanced Technologies
• Hydrophone Grid: Monitors marine mammal activity.
• 4D-SAD Sensors: Precisely detects debris fields.
• 4D Situation Awareness Display (4D-SAD): Enhances hazard visualisation for safer navigation.
Standardised Data for Safer Navigation
The OCEAN Project aligns with the S-124 standard, an internationally recognised framework for navigational warnings. This ensures structured, accurate hazard information reaches mariners efficiently, improving decision-making and maritime safety.
System Validation and Real-World Application
The project undergoes rigorous testing to ensure reliability across diverse conditions:
• Error Simulations: Evaluating system response to incorrect inputs.
• Process Validation: Ensuring seamless integration of all components.
• User Testing: Web-based trials confirm accurate and timely hazard alerts.
Real-World Impact
How It Works in Practice
• Human Sighting: A mariner logs a floating container, triggering alerts for nearby vessels.
• Hydrophone Detection: Whale presence detected, prompting collision avoidance measures.
• Satellite Imagery: Drift predictions refine navigational safety.
Looking Ahead: Advancing Maritime Safety
The OCEAN Project remains committed to continuous improvement. Future developments include:
• Expanding S-124 integration to enhance hazard alert accuracy.
• Advancing AI-driven predictive models for more precise hazard detection.
• Strengthening collaborations with regulatory bodies and maritime organisations.
• Improving user experience by integrating feedback from mariners.
• Expanding global data-sharing networks to create a more interconnected maritime safety system.
A Safer Future for Maritime Navigation
The OCEAN Project remains committed to continuous improvement. Future developments include:
By harnessing technology and fostering collaboration, the OCEAN Project is paving the way for safer seas. Mariners, industry leaders, and researchers are encouraged to join this initiative, ensuring a more secure and sustainable future for global maritime navigation.
Read More About the European Navigational Hazard Infrastructure (ENHI) Here.
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