Known as ‘Mainsail’, the software tool developed by the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), flags vessels behaving suspiciously. The CMRE is situated in La Spezia, Italy, and is a world-class NATO scientific research facility with over 60 years of expertise.
Artificial intelligence analyses maritime traffic, allowing authorities to spot vessels that appear to be diverting off-course to potentially damage or gather intelligence about undersea infrastructure.
Damage to the pipelines and cables that carry energy and information across the seabed can be very disruptive. In November and December of 2024 alone, three separate cables carrying internet data and power between five NATO Allies – Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Sweden – were severely damaged.
Footage includes shots of CMRE scientists testing out Mainsail, as well as an interview with CMRE Director Dr Eric Pouliquen.
