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European Maritime Safety Agency News

21 Feb 2024

EMSA Taps Spire to Continue SAT-AIS Data Services

© owr / Adobe Stock

Spire Global, Inc., a provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, reports it has been awarded two framework contracts by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) with a maximum overall budget of €8.4 million. Concurrent with the framework award, Spire received two specific awards that total multi-million euros under the framework contracts. Under the contracts, Spire will provide space-based automatic identification system (SAT-AIS) data services for ship tracking over a four-year period, including real-time, standard and high-density backup SAT-AIS.

28 Jul 2023

Ocean Shippers Playing Catch Up to Electric Vehicle Fire Risk

Freemantle Highway car carrier burning off the Dutch coast - Credit: Dutch Coast Guard

Electric vehicles are crisscrossing the globe to reach their eager buyers, but the battery technology involved in the zero- emission automobiles is exposing under-prepared maritime shippers to the risk of hard-to-control fires, industry, insurance, and emergency response officials said.That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier [Freemantle Highway] drifting off the Dutch coast. The Dutch coastguard said the fire's cause was unknown, but Dutch broadcaster…

07 Jun 2023

ABS Publishes Requirements for Hydrogen-Fueled Vessels

Source: ABS

ABS has claimed a first with the publication of an expansive set of requirements to guide the industry in the use of hydrogen-fueled vessels.The ABS Requirements for Hydrogen Fueled Vessels offers the industry a risk assessment framework for introducing hydrogen as marine fuel to their fleet.The publication is a continuation of ABS' attention to the alternative fuel, building upon projects such as the ABS-classed, Glosten-designed hydrogen-fueled research vessel for the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

09 Dec 2022

ICEYE to Deliver SAR Imagery to EMSA

ICEYE SAR satellite nighttime image showing vessel traffic on Mediterranean Sea, nearby Malta. ICEYE’s imaging is particularly effective for maritime domain awareness applications enabling persistent visibility into large sea areas up to 50,000 km2 with a single image, despite clouds and darkness. (Image: ICEYE)

ICEYE announced the start of a multi-year framework contract with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to support their efforts in managing various aspects of maritime operations with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data.Among its many missions, EMSA, a European Union agency, provides technical expertise and operational assistance in reducing the risk of maritime accidents and assisting in response and recovery from marine pollution from ships and oil installations. The agency…

11 Nov 2022

ABS Examines Alternative Fuels in Reports for EMSA

© Photo Gallery / Adobe Stock

An ABS-led consortium, including CE Delft and Arcsilea, published two of up to six reports studying alternative fuels and decarbonization technologies for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).ABS offered a 360-degree view of biofuels and ammonia, the first two fuels to be published by the consortium. Each fuel was analyzed using various criteria such as greenhouse gas (GHG) impact, sustainability, fuel availability, fuel scalability and human needs.“These two reports are the result of one year of intense activity with our collaborators…

04 Oct 2022

Refurbished Oil Spill Response Ship Enters Service

Photo courtesy Environmental Protection Engineering (EPE)

A refurbished high-spec oil spill response vessel for the Aegean Sea has entered service under a four-year contract with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), a contract with an option for four additional years.Dubbed AKTEA II, the OSRV will be able to reach anywhere in the Aegean within 24 hours and can collect and carry up to 4,500 tonnes of oil.Based in Piraeus, Greece AKTEA II OSRV (IMO 9327516) has onboard capacity of 4,486 cu. m. for recovered oil and is equipped with…

13 Apr 2022

Drones Monitoring Ship Emissions in the Baltic Sea

© Anna / Adobe Stock

A fleet of high-tech specialized aerial drones will be deployed to monitor emissions from commercial ships in the Baltic Sea.Scheduled to kick off later this month, the large-scale campaign is being led by Germany's the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, together with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).Over a three-month period, specially equipped remotely piloted aircraft will take off from the German Armed Forces' Staberhuk site on the east coast of Fehmarn and…

07 Mar 2022

Consortium to Assess Containership Fire Safety for EMSA

(Photo: Bureau Veritas)

A consortium led by the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology (DBI) will deliver a Formal Safety Assessment study on containership fires to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The project aims to identify cost-effective risk control options for cargo fires on board container vessels.Considering the constant increase in containership sizes and the frequency of fire originating in containers, the study will quantitatively assess the fire risks on board containerships…

21 Sep 2021

Aerial Drones Monitor Ship Emissions in the Strait of Gibraltar

(Photo: Nordic Unmanned)

Remotely piloted aircraft are assisting Spanish authorities in actively monitoring sulphur emissions from ships transiting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.Over the summer the European Maritime Safety Agency’s (EMSA) aerial drones have been monitoring the level of sulphur oxides released by ships transiting the Strait of Gibraltar. The operation carried out by the Spanish General Directorate of Merchant Marine  â€“ under the direction of the Spanish Ministry of Transport…

01 Sep 2021

Turkey and Cyprus Monitor Oil Sheen After Syria Leak

Authorities in Turkey and Cyprus are on alert for any potential pollution from a 'sheen' of fuel floating across the Mediterranean from a spill in Syria, officials said.Fuel which seeped into the sea from a thermal station off the coast of Syria on August 23 has been snaking across the Eastern Mediterranean, but any potential impact on Cyprus will depend on currents.The latest satellite images of the region provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency showed the oil sheen east of Cyprus breaking down and dissolving, the Cyprus Fisheries and Marine Research Department said.The eastern Cyprus coastline, largely unspoilt, falls within two opposing jurisdictions; an area controlled by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and a Turkish Cypriot breakaway state recognized on

29 Jul 2021

EMSA Taps Drone Firm for Long-range Maritime Surveillance Services

Textron Systems' Aerosonde - Credit: Textron Systems

Oslo-listed drone company Nordic Unmanned has received a conditional letter of award from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for a contract worth up to 20 million euros ($23,75 million).The letter of award is related to fixed-wing RPAS (drone) services carrying out long-range general maritime surveillanceThe official value of the framework contract is EUR 20 million over a period of up to 2+1+1 years. Nordic Unmanned is the contractual partner with EMSA. Nordic Unmanned will utilize Textron Systems' Aerosonde as its drone platform and two complete systems…

07 Oct 2020

Drones Deployed for Maritime Surveillance off France

(Photo: EMSA)

Aiming to test the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in enhancing the maritime awareness picture in the French Mediterranean Sea, Secrétariat Général de la Mer requested the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) set up a multipurpose maritime surveillance operation, having the Navy (Marine Nationale) and customs (Douanes) as the operation's strategic and tactical leaders.Operational missions started on September 23 for an initial period of three months. The RPAS…

10 Aug 2020

MSC Will Resume Cruises on August 16

MSC Grandiosa (Photo: MSC Cruises)

Switzerland-based MSC Cruises announced Monday that it will resume "full-experience" cruise operations on select ships in the Mediterranean starting from mid-August.The cruise lines flagship MSC Grandiosa will sail in the West Mediterranean from August 16 and MSC Magnifica in the West Mediterranean from August 29. The ships will be the first to implement a new health and safety protocol that has been approved by the relevant national authorities along the ships’ itineraries.Pierfrancesco Vago…

24 Jul 2020

Aerial Drone Sniffs Out Ship Emissions in Denmark

(Photo: Danish Maritime Authority)

A new aerial drone is being tested to monitor vessel emissions in the Great Belt, a busy shipping lane between the islands of Zealand and Funen in Denmark.Having previously been used for various surveillance tasks, the drone is being provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency to operate over the next four months in a specific area north of the Great Belt, which connects the Baltic Sea to the Kattegat strait and Atlantic Ocean.The drone will fly into ships' exhaust gas plumes and use its so-called “sniffer technology” to register the sulphur content in the fuel.

06 Oct 2019

Workshop on Implementing MARPOL

What are the barriers to implementing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations to cut emissions from ships and how can these be overcome?These were key questions explored during an IMO regional workshop on effective ratification and implementation of MARPOL Annex VI and the  initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, held in Viña del Mar, Chile (30 September-2 October).Participants identified existing barriers preventing ratification of MARPOL Annex VI, such as concerns about associated costs for the refinery industry and ship owners, and identified ways to overcome these barriers, building on the…

26 Sep 2019

Authorities Gather to Discuss Enforcement of Sulphur Limits

Photo: Danish Maritime Authority

This week, the Danish Maritime Authority is hosting the 6th annual meeting for international sulphur experts who will combine forces to cooperate on further developing effective enforcement.The purpose of the meeting is to exchange knowledge and best practice for surveillance and enforcement. Many of the experts have experience from enforcing local sulphur regulations, particularly the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA). The discussions will further develop these learnings…

26 Jul 2019

Interferry Charts a Course for Growth

Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan explains why the global trade association is poised to take its work to the next level.

Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan explains why the global trade association is poised to take its work to the next level.While I respect the mantra of cautious optimism, I can’t help feeling genuinely excited that 2019 could prove to be a milestone year in the continuing growth of Interferry’s influence as the global voice of the ferry industry. We’ve come a long way since our US origins in 1976 as what was essentially a networking movement, but developments in recent months already suggest we are on course for yet more enhancement of our present-day worldwide networking and lobbying relationships.

12 Apr 2019

Denmark to Sniff Out Sulfur Polluters

In the coming months, a large drone will check emissions from ships in Danish waters to make sure they comply with the sulphur limit, said Danish Maritime Authority (DMA).The drone is provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency, and is to be used as a means of preventing ship pollution.The drone is fitted with a so-called "sniffer” capable of measuring sulphur emissions. Entering the ship's exhaust gas plume, the drone can register the amount of sulphur in the fuel. These data are immediately available to Danish authorities, who can follow up if a ship does not comply with the requirements.The project will contribute to a more efficient enforcement of the sulphur rules…

29 Jan 2019

Making a Difference: Interferry acts on industry’s major issues

Mike Corrigan is CEO of Interferry, the trade association that represents the worldwide ferry industry.

Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan reflects on the global trade association’s hectic year of involvement in three key areas of concern.Readers with long memories will have a strong sense of déjà vu when I say that safety, security and the environment are at the forefront of Interferry’s networking and lobbying mission right now. I highlighted the very same issues in this column last January, so let me explain why I’m not entirely repeating myself.It’s a fact of life that a lot can happen in a short space of time.

03 Apr 2019

ECSA Workshop on IMO GHG Strategy

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) organised a workshop on the practical implementation of measures to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, attended by representatives of the European Commission, the European Maritime Safety Agency, the Member States, as well as industry stakeholders and environmental organisations.The focus was on the opportunities and challenges of reducing the shipping industry’s carbon footprint. The speakers presented concrete initiatives in alternative propulsion technology, such as sails, hydrogen or methanol, and improving the energy efficiency of existing ships.Moreover, participants also discussed the current limitations of available abatement technologies…

04 May 2018

Stena Oil Rolls Out Scandinavia's Largest Bunkering Terminal at Frederikshavn

Stena Oil has signed an agreement to create a new marine fuel terminal in the Port of Frederikshavn. The facility will be fully adapted for the new Sulphur Directive 2020 and its location will reduce the distances travelled by bunkering vessels. The oil terminal will be the largest of its kind in Scandinavia, with a capacity of 75 000 cubic metres. "We are delighted to be developing our business in Frederikshavn. We will create a state-of-the-art terminal that can handle all fuel types that meet the IMO’s global sulphur directive, which comes into effect in 2020. In combination with our Gothenburg terminal, we will have the capability to serve our customers even better. We are also investing in a new bunkering vessel.

26 Sep 2018

ECSA Mulls More Capacity on EU Recycling

The European Shipping industry welcomes the European Commission’s current inspections of ship recycling facilities in order to enlarge the list of approved facilities that will ensure safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.When non EU facilities such as Indian facilities are found to be compliant with the requirements, they should be included in the EU list, as it will facilitate and encourage further positive developments taking place in South Asia and worldwide.By 31st December 2018 all ships flying a European flag have to be recycled in a facility which is included in the European list. “A lot has been written lately on whether…

30 Oct 2018

EU-UNODC Cooperation on Maritime Security and Surveillance

The European Union and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC GMCP) have a long and effective relation in building capacities to tackle maritime crimes.The EU and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC started partnering in 2010 to support Eastern African states (Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania) prosecuting piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.Currently, the EU and UNODC GMCP are jointly working on  capacity building support in Somalia, including training and mentoring of the Mogadishu Maritime Police Unit.The Global Maritime Crime Programme is currently preparing…