Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
seas around Europe (Figure 1) have been designated Special Areas accord-
ing to Annex 1 of MARPOL 73/78. Only the Norwegian Sea, the Bay of
Biscay and the Iberian Coast are not covered by the Special Area status.
Fig. 1.
Special Areas according to MARPOL 73/78
These areas are considered to be so vulnerable to pollution that dis-
charges from ships within them have been completely prohibited, with mi-
nor and well-defined exceptions. Without entering into details, we can say
that discharges are allowed when the oil content of the discharged effluent
does not exceed 15 ppm (parts per million).
It should also be noted that satellite-borne SAR images do not allow the
detection of oil spills, if the sea surface is too rough or too smooth, i.e., in
the case of winds below 2 m s
-1
and above 15 m s
-1
. Last, not least, at pre-
sent, satellites SAR images are unable to identify the pollution culprit (i.e.,
the name of the ship that polluted); satellite can at best identify the position
of the probable pollution culprit.
2 JRC's experience in the field of oil spill monitoring
2.1 Experience in the field of accidental pollution (the Prestige
case, see ref. Fortuny)
Right after the accident of the Prestige tanker, the Monitoring and Infor-
mation Centre of the European Commission, in coordination with the
