SKY Perfect JSAT and ITOCHU Corporation have started providing a marine oil leak detection service using SAR satellite images to the Qatar Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (Qatar MECC).
This service detects oil leaks at sea using SAR satellite imagery acquired by ground stations owned by SKY Perfect JSAT’s partner satellite operator Tromsø, Norway, and its partners. After that, the information is analyzed in combination with AIS (Automatic Identification System) information transmitted from ships to identify ships with oil leaks.
SKY Perfect JSAT and ITOCHU Corporation will continue to provide road services to Qatar, and expand the service so that other countries and companies in sea areas with similar demand can use them.
Worldwide, about 2,000 oil spills from oil tankers have been reported since 1970.
In particular, the coast of the Persian Gulf, where many multinational ships, including Qatar, navigate, has long considered measures to deal with oil leaks. From the perspective of environmental protection, it is important to detect and deal with oil leaks from ships as early as possible before they dock at coastal areas.
By using the marine oil leak detection service, it will be possible to protect the marine environment by preventing damage caused by oil leaks to important facilities such as seawater desalination facilities and power plants in coastal areas.