The Norwegian Pilot
The Norwegian Pilot
From Simulation to the Real-world Implementation
The Norwegian pilot, conducted on 27–28 May 2026, demonstrated SMAUG's ability to detect, classify and respond to maritime security threats in one of Norway's most strategically important cargo ports, the Port of Drammen. Combining simulation-based validation and operational demonstrations, the pilot showcased how integrated autonomous technologies can strengthen situational awareness and protect critical maritime infrastructure.
The Location
The Norwegian pilot spans two interconnected operational environments: the Port of Drammen and the Svelvikrenna Strait, a narrow maritime corridor connecting the Oslo Fjord with the port area.
Svelvikrenna serves as the first monitoring zone, where hydrophone systems continuously detect and classify vessel traffic entering the fjord. Further inland, the Port of Drammen represents the protected critical infrastructure area, handling strategic cargo, vehicles and military equipment.
This combination creates an ideal environment for testing SMAUG's multi-layered surveillance capabilities, allowing threats to be detected at a distance, verified through autonomous assets and monitored throughout their approach to the port.
The Scenario
The pilot unfolded through a combination of bridge simulation and operational demonstrations designed to recreate realistic maritime security situations.
The demonstration followed vessel movements from the Svelvikrenna Strait towards the Port of Drammen, allowing SMAUG technologies to monitor, verify and assess maritime activity across the entire operational area.
Inside the University of South-Eastern Norway's bridge simulation laboratory, multiple simulated vessels navigated through scenarios representative of the Drammen operational environment. At the same time, a simulated Control Center received and processed information generated by SMAUG's integrated surveillance systems.
The objective: detect anomalies, verify vessel identities and support operators in responding to potential maritime threats before they escalate.
The objective: detect anomalies, verify vessel identities and support operators in responding to potential maritime threats before they escalate.Hydrophones continuously monitored vessel activity and classified acoustic signatures. ATHANOR's AIS module correlated detected vessels with identification data, while satellite monitoring capabilities contributed additional situational awareness.
Whenever inconsistencies emerged between acoustic detections and AIS information, Elistair's tethered UAV was deployed to perform aerial verification. In higher-risk situations, MAROB's autonomous surface vessel carried out additional inspections and active sonar operations.
The demonstration included multiple operational situations ranging from legitimate vessel identification to suspicious vessel behaviour, unidentified acoustic events and the discovery of a potential underwater threat.
The result: a fully integrated maritime security workflow capable of detecting, verifying, and responding to threats through coordinated, autonomous, and human decision-making processes.
The pilot demonstrated how SMAUG's layered approach combines underwater sensing, aerial surveillance, autonomous surface operations and intelligent data fusion into a single operational picture.
The Technologies
Hydrophones
(acoustic detection )
UAV
(aerial visual identification)
USV
(autonomous surface scanning)
AIS Module
(vessel identification module)
Satellite Monitoring
(maritime activity recognition)
AI-Powered Data Fusion Platform
(common operational picture and decision support)
Remote Operation Centre
(remote management of autonomous assets)
Acoustic Signal Processing
(advanced sound analysis and anomaly detection)
SMAUG testing
Demonstrated Threat Scenarios
Confirmed Cargo Vessel Identification
Non-Cooperative Unidentified Craft Detection
Suspicious Vessel Verification
Unknown Acoustic Event Investigation