A new tender for a container-based harbour protection module shows how public buyers are hardening ports against asymmetric and evolving threats.
Follow Tenderlake on LinkedIn for concise insights on public-sector tenders and emerging procurement signals.
A new German defence tender for a container-based harbour protection module points to a shift in how public authorities plan to shield ports and coastal sites from asymmetric threats. By combining sensors and control systems in a deployable unit, the project underlines the growing role of modular technology in maritime security across Europe.
The Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr has issued a contract notice for a harbour protection capability project, published in November 2025. The aim is to develop a container-based module that can help protect coastal facilities and harbour installations from a range of asymmetric threats.
According to the notice, the module will integrate sensors and control systems in a single, containerised package. While the document does not detail the specific sensor types or the scale of deployment, it is clear that the buyer wants a self-contained unit that can monitor and help safeguard critical maritime infrastructure.
The choice of a container-based design is notable. Such designs are typically used to create systems that can be transported, installed and, if needed, relocated with relative ease. Applied to harbour protection, this suggests a desire for flexible defensive capacity that can be positioned where risk is judged to be highest, whether at large commercial ports or smaller coastal facilities.
The notice offers few operational details, but the emphasis on “various asymmetric threats” signals a focus on non-traditional risks and actors. Rather than classic state-on-state confrontation, the system appears intended to help manage more unpredictable scenarios in and around harbour approaches, quays and supporting infrastructure.
The German project lands in a wider European context where civilian and defence buyers alike are reassessing port security. In November 2025, Poole Harbour Commissioners in the UK launched a Security Services Contract covering guards, CCTV operation, patrols and incident response across Poole Harbour and the Port of Poole. That procurement concentrates on human presence and cameras, rather than new platforms or sensors, but it reflects similar concerns about protecting busy maritime gateways.
Other port authorities are investing in infrastructure and systems that support a more integrated approach to safety and security. In June 2025, the AGENCIA PÚBLICA DE PUERTOS DE ANDALUCÍA went to market for a Comprehensive Port Management System, seeking a single tool to manage ports more effectively. Though framed as a management platform, such systems often sit alongside security functions, feeding data and situational awareness to those responsible for risk.
Further north, SPL Cherbourg Port issued a notice in October 2025 for security services at Cherbourg Port, covering surveillance, access control, guarding and screening, aligned with the VIGIPIRATE plan and the ISPS code. The focus there is regulatory compliance and consistent on-the-ground practice.
Alongside these service-heavy contracts, some port owners are procuring physical defence infrastructure. In October 2025, the Autoridad Portuaria de Avilés in Spain advertised a Supply of Defence Systems for commercial quays, covering the design, manufacture and delivery of new defences at the Port of Avilés. That work is more focused on physical protection of ships and structures, but it sits within the same trend: ports hardening their assets to cope with a more complex risk environment.
Against this backdrop, the German harbour protection module stands out because it is explicitly framed as a response to asymmetric threats and because it leans on sensors and control technology more than on guards, fences or bollards. It hints at a future where some aspects of harbour defence are delivered by deployable, technology-rich units rather than permanent installations alone.
The container-based approach seen in the German defence notice mirrors a broader move towards modular, mobile protection systems across public procurement. In August 2025, France’s SGAMI SUD launched a project for construction of a modular building rescue area using shipping containers at a civil security helicopter base in Perpignan. That contract covers plumbing and electrical works as well as the container structures themselves, turning standard units into a specialised emergency facility.
In Sweden, the police authority is seeking to formalise its use of containerised equipment through a framework agreement for Fire Protection Containers, as advertised in August 2025. These containers are intended to meet national needs for fire safety, again using standardised, movable units that can be deployed where they are most needed.
In the maritime defence domain, FMV in Sweden published a notice in October 2025 for logistics support modules for submarines. That framework covers functional modules that bolster logistics support for submarine units, including systems for supplying cryogenic gases and lime via specialised container interfaces. Here, as in the German harbour project, containerisation is used to standardise complex functions and make them easier to deploy.
Outside defence, German local authorities are buying modular protection for environmental risks. Burgenlandkreis issued a September 2025 notice for a mobile flood and heavy rain protection system built from modular components that can be transported and adapted to different terrains. A similar approach is seen in Stadt Euskirchen’s September 2025 procurement of mobile flood protection, including roll-off containers and storage.
The common thread is a preference for protection measures that are modular, repeatable and redeployable. The German harbour protection module fits this pattern, but applies it directly to defence of coastal and port installations against deliberate threats, rather than environmental hazards or accidents.
The German defence tender also mirrors a wider investment in sensing and control technologies linked to maritime operations. In October 2025, the Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde sought a modular hydrographic and hydrometric measurement system built around two unmanned surface vehicles. The system combines multi-beam echo sounders, GNSS-INS/IMU units, interchangeable ADCPs and associated IT and control technology. While the purpose there is measurement rather than security, the convergence of unmanned platforms, sensors and control systems is striking.
Law-enforcement buyers are taking similar steps on the water. On 31st October 2025, the Behörde für Inneres und Sport -Polizei- launched a contract for the delivery of two electric boats for auxiliary service and harbour surveillance. In June 2025, the Ministry of Citizen Protection in Greece issued a notice for floating means for inland waters equipped with integrated thermal imaging cameras.
Defence-focused maritime platforms are evolving in parallel. In August 2025, the Economat des armées advertised a project for a maritime surveillance patrol vessel for the Mauritanian navy, while the Sectoral Procurement Directorate sought two Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats for a Maritime Enforcement Unit in May 2025. Both notices emphasise patrol and enforcement roles that rely on well-integrated sensors and onboard systems.
Training and expertise are also getting attention. In September 2025, PFC-OUEST Rennes published a tender for specialised training in maritime and port infrastructures, including coastal engineering and port rehabilitation. Around the same time, LYCEE MARITIME ANITA CONTI launched a project for a survival at sea training centre in Fécamp, including facilities and equipment for practical safety training in line with international standards.
Taken together, these notices show that harbours and coastal zones are being approached as complex systems of infrastructure, platforms, data and people. The German harbour protection module will sit within that ecosystem, adding a defensive building block that can be integrated with patrol boats, surveillance vessels, management systems and trained personnel.
The current German notice does not disclose timelines, budgets or industrial partners, so the eventual scale and configuration of the harbour protection module remains open. What is clear is that public buyers are experimenting with modular, container-based solutions that combine sensing, control and mobility.
As this harbour project moves from specification to delivery, observers will be watching how far the container-based design allows rapid deployment across different sites, and how well it can be integrated with existing port security, patrol and management systems that are emerging from other European procurements.
For suppliers across defence, maritime and civil protection, the trend points towards solutions that are both technically sophisticated and physically adaptable, designed to plug into diverse operational contexts around Europe’s coasts and harbours.
Follow Tenderlake on LinkedIn for concise insights on public-sector tenders and emerging procurement signals.