The MARIOT project is focused on improving safety for ships sailing in the Arctic area by enabling better communication and navigation on board the ships. The goal is to develope, launch, and operate the first of a series of VDES satellites.

SAFTETY AT SEA

Maritime authorities and the global maritime industry have identified a range of needs for further safety and navigational services for ships at sea. This has among others resulted in the "e-Navigation Strategy" anchored under United Nations/IMO.

In the strategy, the VDES standard has been specified as the new communications channel for e-Navigation. VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) is the second generation of the popular AIS technology used globally for vessel tracking and other navigational and safety-related purposes. AIS allows ships to broadcast their position along with ID, course, and speed. This is picked up by other ships, by coastal VHF radio networks, and today also by satellites.

A NEW NETWORK OF LEO SATELLITES

Through a new low orbit (LEO) satellite network consisting of 50 satellites, the goal is to develop a new maritime IoT network for a range of maritime/Arctic services. The first of the 50 satellites, the MARIOT-1 satellite, was launched on the 3rd of January 2023 by the satellite operator and leading project partner Sternula in Denmark. The satellite will be part of offering the new VDES communication system targeted for ship operation and SART operations.

The MARIOT project has set up the following key objectives:

• Improve security and efficiency while reducing environmental impact from maritime activities in arctic and other naval waters by enabling novel global coverage e-Navigation services for all ships in all waters.
• Develop the first commercial global satellite-based maritime VDE-SAT infrastructure.
• Launch the MARIOT-1 satellite to demonstrate selected VDE-SAT e-Navigation services in the arctic.
• Develop the satellite system as a scalable blue-print allowing the project partners to provide world-wide commercial e-Navigation products and services.
• Build on previous research projects, use international open standards and feed back experience to the research community and standardization groups.

SIX INNOVATIVE PARTNERS

The MARIOT project has been supported by Innovation Fund Denmark with a Grand Solution grant on 20 mio. DKK. Furthermore the project is a collaboration between six innovative partners: Sternula, GateHouse, Space Inventor, Satlab, DMI, and Aalborg University.

Aalborg University contributes with orbital analysis including groundsegment and communication as well as more than 20 years of knowledge within cubesats.