Seminar Series #4: Wave-Robust Passive AUV Localization Using FP-MUSIC

Details: 25 Sept, 12:00–13:00, 2A08 (Rued Langgaards Vej 7). Open to staff and students.

Invited Speaker: Usama Saqib, Postdoc at IT University of Copenhagen

Title: Wave-Robust Passive AUV Localization Using FP-MUSIC

Abstract: Localizing an autonomous underwater vehicle without pre-deployed seabed transponders, or direct access to onboard vehicle sensors remains a core challenge. We present a receiver-passive 3-D localization and spatial mapping system utilizing a single floating surface buoy equipped with a hydrophone array and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The central difficulty is that surface wave motion induces six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) perturbations that rotate the array between snapshots, degrading conventional subspace processing. We resolve this by introducing a fixed-point iterative MUltiple SIgnal Classification algorithm (FP-MUSIC) that uses IMU measurements to de-warp snapshot covariances prior to direction-of-arrival estimation. Furthermore, we employ a subspace-projected wideband matched filter to resolve beacon ranges and use power asymmetry for independent front-back identification. Evaluations across simulated sea states demonstrate that FP-MUSIC substantially reduces localization error relative to uncompensated methods and sustains robust 3-D tracking and vehicle orientation estimation under wave-induced motion. At moderate sea state, FP-MUSIC increases the 2-m beacon-separation accuracy from approximately 45% to 75%.

BLUE DAY

A day with the maritime industry and ITU students: talks on our study programmes, thesis and research collaboration, and two real project cases.

Details: 8 Dec, 08:00-14:00, ScrollBar - Rued Langgaards Vej 3 2300 København

Check the program and sign up here as seats are limited. We hope to see you there!!

Seminar Series #1: AI integration in ecosystems and the competitive repositioning of shipping multinational enterprises

Details: 9 April, 13:00–14:00, 3A07 (Rued Langgaards Vej 7). Open to staff and students.

Invited Speaker: Agnieszka Nowinska, Associate Professor at Aalborg University

Title: AI integration in ecosystems and the competitive repositioning of shipping multinational enterprises

Abstract: This paper examines how shipping multinational enterprises (MNEs) leverage AI through ecosystems rather than as standalone firm-level tools. Drawing on Adner’s ecosystem-as-structure perspective, the study investigates how AI changes activities, actors, positions, and links. Empirically, the paper is based on qualitative data from 43 interviews across 29 firms, including shipowners/operators, charterers, shipbrokers, and software providers, complemented by field notes and observations. Using abductive thematic analysis in NVivo, the study identifies how AI integration reshapes workflows, encourages hybrid build–buy ecosystem architectures, and deepens data-driven interdependence across firms. The findings also show that AI changes roles and relationships by changing trust and signaling dynamics, intensifying competition among providers, and creating new alignment challenges linked to privacy, inertia, and regulation.

Seminar Series #2: How do networks change and why should we care?

Details: 24 June, 11:00–12:00, 3F07 (Emil Holms Kanal 3). Open to staff and students.

Invited Speaker: Jonas Juul, Assistant Professor at IT University of Copenhagen

Title: How do networks change and why should we care?

Abstract: Global maritime trade depends on networks of vessels connecting ports worldwide, and disruptions can be enormously costly. When extreme events like storms or conflicts strike, they tend to shut down entire regions simultaneously, yet existing network resilience tools assume disruptions hit ports one at a time or in spatially distributed groups. We develop a statistical method to detect whether network disruptions cluster locally and in bursts. We will apply the method to synthetic and real network data, including maritime networks. The results lay the groundwork for designing shipping networks that can better withstand shocks that hit entire regions at once.

Seminar Series #3: The Effect of Targeted Sanctions on the Russian Shadow Fleet

Details: 23 Sept, 11:00–12:00, 3F07 (Emil Holms Kanal 3). Open to staff and students.

Invited Speaker: Yevgeniy Golovchenko, Assistant Professor at University of Copenhagen

Title: The Effect of Targeted Sanctions on the Russian Shadow Fleet

Abstract: Western sanctions on Russia's maritime export of fossil fuels have led to the rise of the Russian "shadow fleet," a network of vessels that circumvent sanctions through covert means. There is a widespread perception that these sanctions are ineffective, partly due to the shadow fleet's role in sustaining Russian oil export. In response, states have supplemented broad maritime trade regulations with an increase in sanctions targeted against individual vessels. This analysis nuances the debate by empirically examining the effect of vessel-specific sanctions, using 94 million geolocation observations from nearly all of the world's active crude oil tankers. The findings suggest that these targeted sanctions have reduced the overall activity of sanctioned tankers: they traverse shorter distances, make fewer port visits and potentially engage less frequently in ship-to-ship oil transfers, although the evidence for the latter is not conclusive. These results contribute to the literature on sanction effects by showing that targeted maritime sanctions can significantly influence behavior while building on top of non-targeted trade regulations. The findings imply that states can limit sanction evasion by investing in maritime surveillance and continuously targeting individual vessels.