| Project Detail |
Advanced technologies for marine munitions clearance
Explosive and chemical munitions dumped in the sea pose a threat to marine traffic, infrastructure, humans, and the environment. Clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) is essential for the safety and security of European waters. The EU-funded MMinE-SwEEPER project aims to enhance Europe’s ability to manage marine munitions in non-military scenarios. The project will focus on advancing technologies for automated munition detection and identification, data analysis, environmental monitoring of chemical contaminants, predicting UXO burial and the spread of contaminants, assessing corrosion, and enabling the secure exchange of sensitive data. It will also engage in stakeholder dialogue and outreach activities. Industry partners anticipate significant benefits from these technological developments, and governmental bodies are looking forward to a closer cooperation between European countries.
The MMinE-SwEEPER project will advance knowledge, capability and capacity in Europe for dealing with marine munition in the non-military aspect of UXO-clearance. 21 partners from 7 EU and 2 associated countries bring experience and capabilities from the civil science community (9), military research (3), coast/border guards or EOD-services (4) as well as industry (3) and intergovernmental organizations (2). Jointly they will work in 8 technical work packages to a) advance automated munition detection, identification and data analyzing technologies and software, b) environmental monitoring of chemical contaminants, c) predictions of UXO-burial, contaminants spread and the state-of-corrosion, and will d) enable secure exchange of sensitive data (64% of person months). Three additional WPs will compile existing knowledge, learn about the legal responsibilities and technical approaches, assess remediation and mitigation measures and create training material for building European capacity (14% PM). Two WPs will engage in an intense stakeholder dialog and dissemination/outreach activities by utilizing capacities already existing at HELCOM and JPIO (14% PM).
Outcomes with respect to specific technical advancements will include a) AI-supported detection of munition in hydroacoustic spatial mapping data (MBES, SSS; SAS), b) detection of buried munition objects (magnetic, SBP, LF-SAS), c) AI-supported object identification in optical and acoustic cameras and d) implementing trained AI-models into Smart-AUVs and -USVs for adaptive and cooperative mission execution. All this will utilize secure data exchange possibilities through a demonstrator data platform that will be refined during the project. Industry partners see a great benefit in developing technologies that later can be advanced further to become commercial products. At the end of the project most TRLs will be at 5 to 6, meaning they have been applied under real conditions and proved their applicability. |
