Published on 15 December 2017
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of CleanSeaNet, one of its flagship services. Operational since 2007, CleanSeaNet is a satellite-based pan-European oil spill and vessel monitoring service which processes images coming from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites - such as the Copernicus Sentinel-1A/B satellites - to identify and trace oil pollution on the sea surface, to monitor accidental pollution during emergencies and to identify potential polluters in case of accidental or deliberate pollution.
Source: © MCA/Irish Coast Guard
The service aims at strengthening national operational response chains to accidental spills and deliberate discharges from ships. It provides information to national authorities in 34 coastal states in less than thirty minutes after the acquisition of the satellite imagery.