Ensuring maritime safety in the autonomous shipping era: the need for multi-system radionavigation receivers

Kurzfassung

The maritime shipping domain plays a vital role in the world economy, accounting for over 90% of global trade activity. As a result, the industry's continuous evolution is essential to sustaining growth worldwide, with the United Nations predicting an average annual growth rate of 2.4% through 2029 for maritime global trades. To achieve this growth, digital technologies and automation will be critical components, enabling the safe operation of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) with varying levels of autonomy. MASS will heavily rely on highly integrated technological solutions, including reliable and resilient positioning information. Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSS) have been increasingly used in the maritime domain to provide accurate position, navigation, and timing (PNT) data. However, the widespread adoption of GNSS has also introduced significant risks, particularly when it comes to intentional GNSS signal interference. GNSS receivers can be severely compromised by various types of man-made interference, including jamming and spoofing attacks. Jamming involves intentionally injecting noise into the receiver, while spoofing refers to the deliberate transmission of misleading GNSS signals from another source that causes faulty positioning. These threats are noticeably increasing, particularly in areas affected by geopolitical instability. In the Baltic Sea, for example, jamming is a significant concern which affects the maritime domain as well as the aviation one, especially on its eastern side. To address this issue, regional terrestrial navigation systems like R-Mode have been developed as backup to GNSS. R-Mode provides alternative positioning information and can support the detection of misleading PNT data derived from spoofing attacks, enabling decision-making support for the crew or the autonomous navigation system. In this contribution the R-Mode system will be presented in details. The main features of the system will be described and key performance indicators, based on predictions and real-world measurement campaign will be shown. Our work in the direction of reliable and resilient provision of PNT data will also be presented, including the concept of multi-sensor PNT unit. Multi-sensor PNT units will become essential components in the maritime domain. These systems will enable the reliable and resilient provision of positioning data, supporting increased autonomy in the maritime landscape. By leveraging regional terrestrial navigation systems like R-Mode, the maritime industry can mitigate the risks associated with unreliable positioning information. This will enable the safe operation of MASS, support increased autonomy, and ensure the continued growth of maritime industry.