In its final year, UnderSec is bringing these strands together into a layered approach to underwater threat detection and decision support. At the outer layer, optimised networks of range‑free sensors, combined with automated analysis of ship movements, provide early awareness of unusual transmissions and manoeuvres near sensitive seabed infrastructure and ship hulls. Visual tools show where coverage is strong and where blind zones remain, while movement‑analysis maps highlight trajectories, accelerations and course changes that may deserve closer inspection.

Once an anomaly is detected, more specialised capabilities come into play. The Concealed Material Identification Module (CMIM), developed within UnderSec, offers a way to identify what is inside sealed objects on the seabed or attached to hulls, using pulsed fast neutron beams mounted on a Remotely Operated Vehicle. By reading the elemental “fingerprint” of explosives, narcotics or other hazardous substances, CMIM can help distinguish harmless debris from genuine threats in situ, without opening containers under water. This identification layer complements traditional imaging tools such as cameras, sonars and magnetometers, and is supported by the communication technologies and optimisation methods developed elsewhere in the project.

Taken together, these results position UnderSec as more than a collection of separate research outputs. They form an integrated concept for underwater security: optimised and reconfigurable sensing networks, realistic and efficient algorithms that run close to where data is collected, communication solutions tailored to the marine environment, and advanced inspection modules for material identification. As the project moves into its final activities, the focus turns to demonstrations and engagement with authorities, operators and industry, so that this multi‑layered approach can inform future systems that protect Europe’s underwater and maritime critical infrastructures.