SeaSEC unites Dutch Defence and industry to counter undersea threats
During a recent initiative at Campus@Sea in The Hague, 12 consortia from the survey industry joined forces with the Dutch Ministry of Defence at the Seabed Security Experimentation Centre (SeaSEC). As part of the SeaSEC Challenge Weeks 2025, held from 12 to 23 May, they conducted sea trials to explore how their technologies could contribute to securing critical underwater infrastructure in the North and Baltic Seas.
The protection of vital submarine infrastructure for data traffic and energy supply is becoming more complex and urgent due to increasing threats arising from geopolitical tensions. Incidents such as the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022 have demonstrated the vulnerability of this infrastructure, underlining the urgent need for innovative security solutions.
SeaSEC was established in 2023 within the framework of the Northern Naval Capability Cooperation (NNCC) by defence ministries of six NATO countries bordering the North and Baltic Seas. The centre stimulates and accelerates the development of technologies that can detect suspicious situations and strengthen the security of submarine infrastructure. An important aspect of this is the collaboration between armed forces, companies and knowledge institutions.
The 2025 SeaSEC Challenge Weeks mark a milestone in SeaSEC’s still-young history, bringing together an unprecedented number of collaborating civil parties to test and demonstrate solutions. This year’s edition once again offered a compelling showcase of cutting-edge technology at SeaSEC’s maritime testing grounds off the coast of Scheveningen. The initiative challenges industry players to prove their capabilities in protecting undersea infrastructure, driving rapid innovation in defence solutions.
Quick solutions
“By demonstrating the products in practice, we show the Ministry of Defence directly what is possible now,” says Carine van Bentum, director at SeaSEC. “This helps the Ministry to quickly arrive at solutions, instead of launching a lengthy process involving extensive deliberation about the final design. Such a process can take years, and we simply don’t have that kind of time given the current and growing threat. We want to get the right solution in the water as soon as possible. With this practical approach, we bring together the military and civilian sides, which speeds up the entire process.”
Field tests
The demonstrations took place in a ten by ten nautical mile testing ground just off the coast near The Hague. The consortia were given three specific assignments:
- Locate and track an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) within a designated area of 1km².
- Locate and identify multiple suspicious objects placed on top of, near, half-buried near or under a designated section of pipeline within a time limit.
- Detect anomalies on a designated area of 1km² of seabed in shallow water.
Promising results
Van Bentum is enthusiastic about the results so far: “Some solutions are actually ready to use – perhaps not exactly for the application we have in mind, but they also inspire us for other uses.” She specifically highlights a few promising technologies, including Teledyne’s Lidar system: “If you can actually see 30 metres deep in the North Sea with it, you significantly expand your perspective compared to an underwater solution. The optical hydrophones from Optics11 that I’ve seen are also very promising.”
The goal of SeaSEC and the Challenge Weeks is to bring The Ministry of Defence and industry together. “I can already see some great connections being made,” says Van Bentum. She urges companies in the survey industry to continue reaching out to SeaSEC in The Hague after the 2025 Challenge Weeks to test their technology.