Project Sentinel — Underwater Glider “Speed Cameras” for the Ocean

Project Sentinel is ELNAV.AI’s AI-enabled, underwater-glider solution that gives coasts a 24/7 “speed-camera” network beneath busy shipping lanes to catch illegal discharges in the act. Silent, battery-powered gliders patrol at 30–100 m depth for months, analyze the water in passing ships’ wakes, and surface to transmit instant, geotagged alerts when pollution is detected.

How it works

• Autonomous gliders (Teledyne/ALSEAMAR class) cruise at 1–2 kn, unseen below traffic, then surface only to report.

• Multi-pollutant sensor pod detects oil via fluorescence, sewage/grey water via turbidity + dissolved oxygen, ballast via residual chlorine, and scrubber wash via pH/PAH signatures—fused with onboard AI to cut false positives.

• Real-time enforcement alerts: time, GPS, and sensor traces are pushed to authorities; evidence packets can be cryptographically sealed and chain-of-custody ready.

What you get (as a service)

• Always-on coverage of priority corridors (e.g., 10 km or ~60 km packages), including mission planning, permits, launch & recovery, and maintenance.

• SLA metrics: ≥95% mission uptime per active glider; detection→dashboard ≈ ≤10 min; evidence packet (hash + timestamp + GPS + chain-of-custody) < 24 h; 24/7 monitoring and monthly enforcement dossiers; API/dashboard exports to SMART/Skylight.

Why it beats legacy tools

• Continuous, covert presence vs. sporadic satellites/aircraft and point-buoys.

• Subsurface, all-weather detection of thin sheens and underwater plumes that satellites miss—day or night.

• Court-ready evidence turns dots on a map into enforceable actions.

• Compelling unit economics (segment-year pricing) that replace costly patrol hours.

Impact

• Tackles a largely hidden crisis—tens of millions of gallons of oily/dirty water dumped annually—with a deterrence effect once the first fines land.

• Delivers cleaner coasts, healthier fisheries, and lower enforcement costs for regulators and port states.

Roadmap & traction

• Initial pilots in high-traffic lanes (e.g., central Adriatic), scaling to regional fleets managed from a cloud platform.

• Partnerships and supplier relations are in place for glider platforms, university validation, and legal/GDPR advisory.