KLIC at Sea sets course for unified North Sea infrastructure data
As the North Sea becomes busier and dependence on subsea cables and pipelines grows, the need for reliable information about what lies beneath the seabed is increasing. Through the DigiShape seed money project KLIC at Sea, Periplus and Rijkswaterstaat – the Dutch national body responsible for managing and maintaining key infrastructure and waterways – are taking a first step towards a single, central and secure database for subsea infrastructure.
Initiator Bart van Mierlo of Periplus says uncertainty about the exact location of cables and pipelines is a recurring issue. “The actual positions of cables and pipelines in the North Sea often deviate from what is shown in the charts,” says Bart van Mierlo. “Everyone assumes that the data is correct, but that is not always the case.” Desk studies regularly reveal small differences between registered data and reality, which can still have major consequences. “It’s not about kilometres, but even a small deviation can have major consequences. For example, a contractor cannot lay a pipeline under a pipeline and then has to cross it. That costs time and money and entails risks.”
The seabed contains a wide range of assets, including electricity cables from offshore wind farms, interconnectors, telecom cables, gas pipelines and older infrastructure whose status is not always clear. Closer to shore, density increases further, along with the chance of complications. According to Bart van Mierlo, safe construction and maintenance depend on knowing exactly what is present and in what condition.
Accuracy under pressure
That need for precision is growing as space in the North Sea becomes scarcer and permit procedures demand clearer proof that work can be carried out safely. At the same time, subsea infrastructure has become more strategically important for energy supply and communication.
The main challenge is not a lack of data, but fragmentation. Information is stored by different owners and organizations, often using varying standards. “There is actually already a lot of data, it is just fragmented and scattered stored at different agencies or owners,” Van Mierlo explains. As a result, companies sometimes carry out new surveys to verify deviations even when relevant data already exists. “There is a lot of data, but not in one central place.”
Standardization is therefore essential, he adds. “Every party must be able to find what it needs in the same database. That will only work if we agree on one shared standard.” The long-term aim is to move towards one central source used by all. “If we arrange that properly, existing databases can eventually be phased out. Otherwise, the confusion will remain. You work towards one single point of truth.”
From blueprint to ownership
A shared database would support better permit applications, strengthen spatial planning and help protect critical infrastructure. A key question is who will take ownership. Governments and contractors manage and install cables and pipelines, while organizations such as TNO and TenneT also have clear interests. As manager of the North Sea and a national authority overseeing key infrastructure, Rijkswaterstaat is an obvious candidate to play a coordinating role. Bart van Mierlo also sees a role for IDON, the Interdepartmental Directors Consultation North Sea, in determining ownership across departments. “We need someone who says: we take ownership. Only then can we move on.”
The seed money phase focuses on developing a compact blueprint, including an inventory of available data sources, an assessment of their reliability, proposals for standardization and advice on governance and next steps. Periplus is carrying out the analysis together with Rijkswaterstaat, while parties such as Deltares and Informatiehuis Marien have already shown interest from the DigiShape network.
For Van Mierlo, the most important outcome would be recognition that the current situation leads to unnecessary additional surveys and costs. KLIC at Sea is open to organizations that have data, need data or want to contribute to a shared foundation for reliable infrastructure information in the North Sea.
