The Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda will monitor sulfur and nitrogen emissions from ships using the European Maritime Safety Agency’s (EMSA) remotely piloted aircraft operating in the Strait of Gibraltar area.
The initiative builds on experience gained during a similar operation in which the aircraft’s special detector capabilities were used to monitor emissions.
In addition to checking the compliance of passing ships with pollutants, flights can also be directed to support the Spanish Maritime Safety Agency (SASEMAR) for search and rescue.
Other additional duties include pollution detection, suppression of trafficking and smuggling operations, fisheries control and vessel traffic management.
The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) used is a Camcopter S100 unmanned helicopter operated by EMSA’s contractor, Nordic Unmanned.
It is equipped with an emissions sensor from contractor Explicit, which analyses gas samples taken as the RPAS passes through the exhaust plume of the ship’s funnel or stack. Calculations are then made to determine sulphur and nitrogen levels.
If there is evidence of non-compliance, an inspection at the next port of call is likely to take place to determine whether a violation has occurred.
It should be noted that this is the second emission monitoring campaign being carried out in the region.
EMSA believes that emissions surveillance operations such as these will reinforce the recent approval of the Mediterranean Sea as an emission control area by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which is expected to come into force in 2025.
