The NATO Research Vessel Alliance is currently experimenting with methods to protect undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Off the coast of Gotland, Sweden, scientists from the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) are deploying cutting-edge acoustic sensors to see if they might help NATO Allies detect and respond to sabotage of underwater pipelines and data cables. One key trial involves using ballast anchors to replicate the acoustic signature of an anchor drop – a method suspected in recent incidents of seabed interference. This research supports the development of tools to detect, track, and assess such events in real time.
The month-long mission also marks a milestone as NATO operates in newly accessible waters alongside its newest Allies, Sweden and Finland. The Baltic’s complex seabed and dense infrastructure provide an ideal test environment.
NRV Alliance, based in La Spezia, Italy, is NATO’s floating laboratory, operated by CMRE scientists and crewed by the Italian Navy.
Footage includes shots of the NRV Alliance, NATO scientists at work and the deployment of cutting-edge sensing technologies. Soundbite from Dr Robert Been, Principal Scientist, NATO Centre of Research and Experimentation.
(00:00) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS (NO SOUND) – THE NRV ALLIANCE AT SEA
(00:28) DRONE SHOT (NO SOUND) – A SUBMERSIBLE IS TRANSFERRED ONTO THE NRV ALLIANCE
(00:48) VARIOUS SHOTS – A ‘COMMUNICATION GATEWAY’ BUOY IS RETRIEVED FROM THE BALTIC SEA
(01:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – A CMRE SCIENTIST HAULS A SENSOR ONTO THE NRV ALLIANCE
(1:23) SLOW-MO SHOT (NO SOUND) – A CMRE SCIENTIST HAULS A SENSOR ONTO THE NRV ALLIANCE
(01:32) CLOSE SHOT – A NATO CMRE SUBMERSIBLE
(01:38) VARIOUS SHOTS – CMRE SCIENTISTS WORK ON A SUBMERSIBLE
(02:00) MEDIUM SHOT – A CMRE SCIENTIST REPOSITIONS A SUBMERSIBLE
(02:03) CLOSE SHOT – ENGINEERS CONNECT THE SUBMERSIBLE TO A CRANE
(02:10) VARIOUS SHOTS – THE SUBMERSIBLE IS LIFTED INTO THE SEA BY A CRANE
(02:39) VARIOUS SHOTS – THE SUBMERSIBLE ENTERS THE WATER
(02:50) VARIOUS SLOW-MO SHOT (NO SOUND) – ITALIAN NAVY CREW ON THE BRIDGE OF THE NRV ALLIANCE
(2:57) MEDIUM SHOT - ITALIAN NAVY CREW MEMBER CHECKING SCREEN
(03:05) CLOSE SHOT – A MAP OF THE WATERS OF GOTLAND
(03:12) CLOSE SHOT – RADAR SCREEN
(03:16) VARIOUS SHOTS – COMPUTER SCREENS ABOARD THE NRV ALLIANCE
(03:28) VARIOUS SHOTS – CMRE SCIENTISTS MONITOR DATA FROM UNDERSEA SENSORS IN THE NRV ALLIANCE’S LABORATORY
(03:54) VARIOUS SHOTS – CMRE PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, DR ROBERT BEEN, WORKS IN THE SHIP’S LAB
(04:24) VARIOUS SHOTS – CMRE SCIENTISTS PREPARE A SIMULATED ANCHOR TO DROP TO THE SEA FLOOR
(04:43) GOPRO SHOT – CMRE SCIENTISTS MANOEUVRE THE SIMULATED ANCHOR OVER THE SIDE OF THE SHIP
(04:52) WIDE SHOT – CMRE SCIENTISTS PREPARE TO DROP THE SIMULATED ANCHOR
(05:02) GOPRO SHOT – THE ANCHOR IS DROPPED INTO THE BALTIC SEA
(05:26) WIDE SHOT – THE ANCHOR IS RETRIEVED
(05:30) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – DR ROBERT BEEN, PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, NATO CENTRE FOR MARITIME RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION
“So currently we are on board NRV Alliance with a group of international scientists that work for the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation. It’s the only research lab in the NATO and we’re here with an international group of experts in the underwater domain.”
(05:49) SOUNdBITE (ENGLISH) – DR ROBERT BEEN, PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, NATO CENTRE FOR MARITIME RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION
“There have been acts of sabotage against critical undersea infrastructure such as pipelines, communication lines, optical fibres. And we are in the process of trying to assess that problem space. So we are looking underwater, or listening underwater rather, but combining that with imagery. We’re trying to investigate how we can deal with situations like that.”
(06:10) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – DR ROBERT BEEN, PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, NATO CENTRE FOR MARITIME RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION
“It’s very interesting to work in these waters because they’re new to us. Also, the problem space is quite new to us, the acts of sabotage. And it helps us to understand the way we could put into use the technology that we have already developed. So it’s an act of innovation if you wish, trying to modify and add algorithms that help dealing with the problem space in a better way.
(06:41) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – DR ROBERT BEEN, PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, NATO CENTRE FOR MARITIME RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION
“So we’re predicting such events, so listening underwater to see if we can do early detection. Then if it’s ongoing we try and monitor the event and give information in real time to people that help us assess further. And then after the fact we can also help with the forensics.”
(07:04) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – DR ROBERT BEEN, PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, NATO CENTRE FOR MARITIME RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION
“So it’s well known that some of these acts of sabotage may have been caused by anchors, and dragging anchors along the sea bottom and interfering with infrastructure that’s placed there. So for the first time we’ve been able to detect an anchor dropping on the sea bottom. So a proxy to an anchor, it was a ballast, but it was very interesting to see that.”
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