Underwater Infrastructure Security Project Launched in Norway

A major initiative to strengthen the security and resilience of underwater critical infrastructure has begun with the first INSURE project meeting in Tromsø, Norway.

INSURE (Intelligent Decision Support for Underwater Infrastructure Monitoring towards Higher Societal Security & Resilience) is funded by the Norwegian Research Council under the Research into Civil Security and Emergency Preparedness program.

Submarine power and communication cables and pipelines are the backbone of Europe’s digital connectivity, energy security, trade, and emergency response capabilities. Recent incidents in European waters, combined with increasing geopolitical tensions, unauthorized vessel activity, and harsh marine environments, have clearly exposed the limitations of today’s largely ad-hoc and spatially limited monitoring approaches.

INSURE will address this challenge by developing a cost-effective, long-range, and continuous monitoring solution based on Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), combined with advanced signal processing, machine learning, and multi-source data fusion. By transforming existing fiber-optic cables into real-time sensing systems and analyzing underwater acoustic intelligence with vessel tracking data, INSURE enables early threat detection, precise geo-localisation, and predictive risk assessment.

This provides actionable, real-time decision support for first responders and maritime authorities, strengthening infrastructure protection, maritime security, and societal resilience in complex, multi-hazard environments.

The project consortium includes The Arctic University of Norway (Coordinator), ASN, Telenor, Statnett SF, Norwegian Coastal Administration and Norwegian Coast Guard.