International Collaboration from Scheveningen to Secure North Sea's Infrastructure

13 Feb 2024

Author: HSD Foundation

International Collaboration from Scheveningen to Secure North Sea's Infrastructure

Seabed Security Experimentation Center (SeaSEC), a collaboration of six NATO nations has chosen The Hague for the security of the infrastructure in the North Sea. In the center - located at Campus@Sea in the port of Scheveningen - innovative research is being carried out into the security of the underwater infrastructure such as data cables and power cables of wind farms.

In the North Sea, the busiest sea in the world, there are over 100 incidents involving underwater infrastructure each year. These occurrences pose a threat to global communication, the energy supply, and economic stability. The goal of the six NATO member countries' programme SeaSEC is to secure wind farm power, pipeline, and data connections. In the upcoming years, Scheveningen will launch a number of innovative and prototype initiatives in a North Sea test ground. A test area of 10 by 10 nautical miles off the coast of Scheveningen.

Meindert Stolk, Deputy for Economics and Innovation: "A physical Fieldlab is not only of great importance for bringing together business, education, research institutions and governments, but also for stimulating innovation and developing a new economy. Campus@Sea is a good example. It connects several initiatives and ensures that joint innovations are given an opportunity to develop further. The North Sea plays an important role in our energy transition, for example, but it is also a busy area. We need to handle this carefully!"

Campus@Sea

Campus@Sea is the home from which this important research will take place. Developing, testing, showcasing, and validating offshore technologies is the main goal of this field lab located in the Scheveningen port. Consider offshore wind farms that cultivate seaweed or floating solar panels. This makes it possible to use the North Sea in a sustainable and wise manner. The Hague deputy mayor Saskia Bruines (Economic Development) is very pleased with the arrival of SeaSEC.

Saskia Bruines, deputy mayor The Hague: “In addition to peace and justice, we are also more and more a city of security. A robust cluster of institutions and companies in this field is located here. It is precisely in the current era of major international conflicts and shifting power relations that we as a city feel a great responsibility. As the home of all institutions and organisations that need to be able to do their work here in freedom and as a facilitator of a growing security cluster. We are therefore proud that the first SeaSEC hub has chosen The Hague as its home base.”

Collaboration

The SeaSEC hub brings together various parties to shape innovations. The Royal Navy, as one of the initiators, has commissioned research organisation TNO to carry out this project in The Hague. Jeroen de Jonge (TNO): “In SeaSEC, owners of offshore wind farms and oil & gas platforms, policy makers, offshore service providers, telecom & IT providers, research institutes and industry partners come together to develop scenarios and innovative solutions for the protection of the critical infrastructure at sea.”