PhD Defence by Dimitrios Dagdilelis

Abstract

The maritime industry is on the brink of a significant transformation as autonomous ships (MASS -

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships) become a reality. These vessels promise to revolutionize oceangoing operations by minimizing human error and increasing efficiency. However, this shift towards autonomy also presents new challenges that must be addressed to ensure the safe and effective deployment of these technologies. The situation becomes particularly concerning given the susceptibility of current navigation technology to GPS interference, raising the potential for future digital piracy and hijacking scenarios.

The main focus content of the thesis is developing general Situational Awareness, in presence of natural adversities like equipment failure, or cyber-threats, such as GPS spoofing or jamming. This is achieved by proposing systems based on state of the art AI and Machine Learning algorithms, that combine and fuse data from cameras, radars, and other sources, effectively enabling GPS denied and resilient to cyber-threats autonomous operation.

The thesis demonstrates the technology’s use cases by deploying it on GreenHopper, the first Danish

autonomous passenger ferry, operating in Aalborg, Demark. The ferry, housing autonomy technology developed at DTU, operated during a demo period, safely transporting passengers from one side of the fjord to the other.

The results in the thesis not only develop a solid research basis around the safety of future navigation systems but also bolster Denmark's position as spearhead force in maritime innovation research, paving the way for the future integration of maritime autonomy.

Supervisors

• Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Roberto Galeazzi, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU
• Co-supervisor: Professor Emeritus Mogens Blanke, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU

Evaluation Board

• Associate Professor Søren Hansen, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU
• Professor Asgeir Sørensen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
• Professor Fernando Garcia Fernandez, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain

Master of the Ceremony

• Associate professor Dimitrios Papageorgiou, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU