Ireland’s maritime area is seven times larger than its landmass, and it sits at the gateway between Europe and North America. Transatlantic fibre-optic cables that land on the Irish coast carry vast volumes of data, essential to the Irish economy. These cables are difficult to protect, however, and maritime awareness in Irish waters currently depends on patrol vessels, limited radar coverage and periodic satellite imagery. Gaps in real-time visibility mean unusual or suspicious activity often goes undetected. Increasing geopolitical tensions and recent media coverage have highlighted concerns about national preparedness, particularly when it comes to ‘dark vessels’, ships that switch off their AIS trackers. This challenge is not simply about defence, it is about safeguarding the foundations of Ireland’s digital society and its role in the global data economy.
The Sea-Scan project is exploring the use of existing subsea fibre-optic cables to create a large-scale sensing network. Using a technique known as Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), researchers inject light pulses into the cable and measure tiny changes in the returning signal. These fluctuations reveal vibrations in the water and seabed, effectively turning the cable into a long, continuous listening device.
By combining this with machine learning models trained to recognise acoustics from ships of different sizes, types and engine characteristics, Sea-Scan aims to build a 24/7 autonomous maritime monitoring system with an early warning system.
The research could apply to help protect terrestrial infrastructure such as powerlines and predict where faults may occur after storms.
Sea-Scan demonstrates how Ireland can take a leadership role in developing innovative approaches to national security and digital infrastructure protection. By turning subsea cables into a sensing and intelligence platform, the project shows that Ireland can use its geography as an advantage and an exemplar in maritime security and digital resilience. Sea-Scan is a blueprint for how research, defence, and industry can work together to build sovereign capability in an increasingly complex world.
Sea-Scan brings together optical communications engineers, machine-learning specialists, acousticians, and maritime operations experts. The leadership team includes:
The wider team members bring advanced data analysis, signal processing, and model development. This multidisciplinary blend of expertise enables the team to explore this complex and challenging problem.
