Innovating Automated Inspection and Analysis of Maritime Infrastructure

Challenge 2

Challenge #2: Innovating Automated Inspection and Analysis of Maritime Infrastructure

Underwater inspection of ship hulls and marine infrastructure is critical for ensuring operational safety, structural integrity, and regulatory compliance. Traditional inspection methods are often manual, costly, and time-consuming, limiting inspection frequency and overall effectiveness. This challenge seeks innovative, automated, or minimally controlled solutions that can efficiently inspect, visualize, analyze, and report on underwater structures with high fidelity and operational reliability.

Criteria for Automating Underwater Inspection:

To drive the development of advanced inspection technologies that improve efficiency, reduce human risk, and seamlessly integrate into maritime maintenance workflows, proposals should meet the following criteria:

Deployment & Operation:

• Two operators can deploy the system from the side of a ship or pier without relying on fixed infrastructure (a small crane is permitted)
• The system operates continuously for at least two hours
• Maintains its position in moving water and functions effectively at typical port and harbour depths
• Operators can easily recover the system if the mission fails

Data Capture & Transmission:

1. • Capture and transmit high-quality visual data with geo-referencing accuracy comparable to or exceeding that of human divers
   • Provide real-time or near-real-time data transmission to the operator
   • Capable of inspecting complex structures such as grates, appendages, and unexpected objects

Regulatory & Safety Compliance:

1. • Comply with Transport Canada regulations for underwater vehicle operations
   • Demonstrate safe operation in high-risk areas (e.g., propellers, rudders, sea bays)
   • Include active tether management if tethered, to prevent entanglement

Additional Considerations

Proposals that include the following features will receive more favourable consideration:

Advanced Capabilities

• Accurately reference 3D geospatial data between the inspection system and the vessel
• Fuse data from multiple sensors (e.g., LIDAR, sonar, photogrammetry)
• Automate data processing, object identification, and report generation
• Render fused data into 3D models with a resolution finer than 5 mm
• Perform ultrasonic testing to measure the thickness of submerged materials
• Recognize and map underwater textures and objects of interest

Operational Flexibility

• Adapt to multiple mission profiles (e.g., seabed, shallow harbours, ship keels)
• Follow preplanned routes and dynamically respond to new findings
• Require minimal operator training

Technical and Regulatory Readiness

• Present technologies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or higher
• Shows strong potential for the solution to become viable and sustainable
• Address regulatory challenges, including shipping code compliance, within the proposal
• Show awareness of government security and clearance requirements, including timelines for exchanging engineering data, if necessary

Thales’ Goals

This initiative aligns with Thales’ ambition to:

• Lead Innovation in AJISS: Strengthen the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) and Joint Support Ships (JSS), also known as AJISS, programs through advanced technology integration
• Inspection Innovation: Conduct routine and unplanned inspections of Naval assets in the provision of In-Service Support
• Leverage SME Agility: Tap into the unique speed, creativity, and ecosystem advantages of start-ups and SMEs, especially in Atlantic Canada
• Accelerate the AJISS Roadmap: Position resulting solutions for integration via a Value Engineering Change Proposal to AJISS stakeholders

Rules & Requirements

Eligible applicants may submit one proposal per challenge in either English or French.

All applications must include the following components:

• Solution Description and Impact: A clear explanation of the proposed solution, including its practical implications and anticipated benefits
• Novelty of the Innovation: A discussion of how the solution is unique or significantly advances the state of the art
• Organizational Capability and Resources: Summary of team expertise, infrastructure, and access to necessary resources
• Relevant Technological Experience: Demonstrated experience with technologies or methodologies pertinent to the proposed solution
• Level of Innovation: Assessment of the innovation’s ambition, originality, and transformative potential
• Technology Development Roadmap: Outline of the current development status and a forward-looking plan toward full commercialization, including key milestones

Eligibility

The Naval Technology Innovation Challenge is Pan-Atlantic in scope and open to commercial and non-commercial organizations.

The challenge is open to:

• Incorporated businesses in Atlantic Canada
• SMEs, as well as Indigenous organizations
• Post-secondary institutions and other organizations can apply only if they partner with an SME or Indigenous organization

Evaluation Process

A selection panel will review applications using a weighted scoring system across the following categories:

• Solution fit: 25%
• Impact: 20%
• Expertise: 15%
• Resources: 25%
• Innovation: 5%
• Timeline: 10%

The panel includes representatives from COVE, Thales, the National Research Council, and an industry partner. After the application period closes, each panel member will independently evaluate submissions using a standardized scoring package.

Once scoring is complete, the panel will convene to review the results and select the winning company. Before making any public announcement, the panel will notify the selected applicant. COVE will then coordinate with the winner to manage communications.

Note: The selected company must submit financial statements before the final announcement.

Submit Application