Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Oil Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea: Part I pp 191–213Cite as

European Maritime Safety Agency Activities in the Mediterranean Sea

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 83))

Abstract

The seas and oceans of the EU, together with the more than 12,000 commercial ports located in EU coastal states, play a major role in Europe’s economic security. Its seas and oceans are used to transport of goods and people from within and outside the EU, to produce food from fisheries and aquaculture, and to produce energy from both non-renewable (oil and gas) and renewable (wave, wind) energy sources. In order to protect Europe’s marine and coastal areas, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) plays a significant role in monitoring and protecting those maritime regions from pollution and ensuring the safety and security of ships operating in the region. EMSA has, since its establishment in 2002, developed a broad portfolio of operational and implementation services that it offers to the European Commission and EU Member States. For example, it provides a pollution prevention and response (PPR) service that provides operational assistance in the event of an oil spill at sea. It also provides an earth observation service with satellite-based oil spill detection through its CleanSeaNet (CSN) Service and vessel tracking through its SafeSeaNet (SSN) Service. This enables EMSA to support both identification of pollution at sea and potentially locate the source of that pollution. This chapter provides a broad overview of the activities of EMSA before focussing on specific activities relating to oil pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. It examines the availability of resources, ships and equipment, and different PPR activities taking place in the region. It also examines the availability of satellite imagery as a tool for oil spill detection during the period 2007–2011, for individual EU Member States in the region, together with more general observations post-2011.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Notes

  1. 1.

    For further information on all of the Operational Tasks of EMSA, see: http://emsa.europa.eu/operations.html.

  2. 2.

    For further information on the Network of Stand-by Oil Spill Response Vessels and Equipment (Handbook 2014), which includes information sheets on individual vessels and specifications for available equipment, see: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/oil-recovery-vessels/opr-documents/opr-inventories/item/1439-network-of-stand-by-oil-spill-response-vessels-and-equipment-handbook-2014.html (Last updated 20.10.2014).

References

  1. European Maritime Safety Agency (2010) EMSA brochure – safer and cleaner shipping in the European Union. (updated 09.09.2014). EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://emsa.europa.eu/publications/information-leaflets-and-brochures/item/14-emsa-brochure.html

  2. United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan – Barcelona Convention (2012) State of the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Environment. Grid-Arendal, Norway. Available at: http://www.girida.no/publications/med

  3. EMSA (2011) CleanSeaNet first generation report. EMSA, Lisbon. Pub: 13.09.2011 (updated 09.09.2014). Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/operations/cleanseanet/items/id/1309.html?cid=206

  4. European Commission Directorate General for Energy and Transport (undated). Memo – Erika: two years on. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/maritime/safety/doc/erika/memo_en.pdf

  5. European Commission (2000) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Safety of the Seaborne Oil Trade. COM (2000) 142 Final, 21.3.2000. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  6. European Commission (2002) Regulation (EC) No. 417/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 February 2002 on the accelerated phasing-in of double hull or equivalent design requirements for single hull oil tankers and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2978/94. Official Journal of the European Union, L64/1 of 7.3.2002. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:064:0001:0005:EN:PDF

  7. European Commission (2000) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and Council on a Second Set of Community Measures on Maritime Safety following the sinking of the Oil Tanker Erika, COM (2000) 802 final, 6.12.2000. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  8. European Commission (2002) Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2002 establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency. Official Journal of the European Communities, L208/1-9 of 5.8.2002. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:208:0001:0009:EN:PDF

  9. European Commission (2000) Directive 2000/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2000 on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues. Official Journal of the European Communities, L332/81–90 of 28.12.2000

    Google Scholar 

  10. Carpenter A, Macgill SM (2000) The new EU Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues: an evaluation. In: Brebbia CA, Olivella J (eds) Maritime engineering and ports II. Water Studies, vol 9. WIT Press, Wessex Institute of Technology, pp 173–183

    Google Scholar 

  11. International Maritime Organization (undated) International convention for the prevention of pollution from ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1987 (MARPOL 73/78). IMO, London. Available at: http://www.imo.org/About/Conventions/ListOfConventions/Pages/International-Convention-for-the-Prevention-of-Pollution-from-Ships-(MARPOL).aspx

  12. EMSA (2015) Implementation tasks: environment – Directive 2000/59/EC. EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/implementation-tasks/environment/port-waste-reception-facilities/items/id/101.html?cid=147

  13. European Commission (2009) Directive 2009/18/EC establishing the fundamental principles governing the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector and amending Council Directive 1999/35/EC and Directive 2002/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. Also known as the Accident Investigation Directive (Third Maritime Package). Official Journal of the European Communities, L131/114–131 of 28.05.2009

    Google Scholar 

  14. EMSA (2015) Annual overview of marine casualties and incidents 2015. EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://emsa.europa.eu/implementation-tasks/accident-investigation/items.html?cid=141&id=2551

  15. EMSA (2015) Implementation tasks – environment. EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/implementation-tasks/environment.html

  16. EMSA (2011) SafeSeaNet/Vessel Monitoring System Synergies Pilot Project (Updated 09.09.2014). EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/operations/cleanseanet/items/id/1326.html?cid=206

  17. EMSA (2015) IMDatE brochure - maritime surveillance in practice: using integrated maritime services. EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/operations/maritime-monitoring/items.html?cid=86&id=2361

  18. EMSA (2015) Operational tasks: pollution response services. EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/operations/pollution-response-services.html

  19. European Commission (2013) Regulation (EU) No 100/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 20113 amending Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency. Official Journal of the European Union, L 39/30 of 9.2.2013. Available at: http://old.eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:039:0030:0040:EN:PDF

  20. EMSA (2014) Pollution preparedness and response activities of the European Maritime Safety Agency– Report 2014. EMSA, Lisbon. Pub: 30.01.2014. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/oil-recovery-vessels/opr-documents/opr-reports/item/230-the-pollution-preparedness-a-response-activities-of-the-european-maritime-safety-agency-report.html

  21. EMSA (2015) Stand-by oil spill response vessels: vessel network – technical specifications. EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/oil-recovery-vessels/vessel-technical-specifications.html

  22. EMSA (2015) OSRV brochure. EMSA network of oil spill response vessels – protecting European seas against pollution. EMSA, Lisbon. Available at: http://www.emsa.europe.eu/oil-recovery-vessels/background.html

  23. EMSA (2015) Pollution response service: international forums. Lisbon: EMSA. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/technical-ppr/international-forums.html

  24. EMSA (2012) Pollution preparedness and response activities of the European Maritime Safety Agency– Report 2012. EMSA, Lisbon. Pub: 01.2012. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/oil-recovery-vessels/opr-documents/opr-reports/item/230-the-pollution-preparedness-a-response-activities-of-the-european-maritime-safety-agency-report.html

  25. European Commission (2004) Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 of 26 October 2004 establishing a European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union – FRONTEX regulation. Official Journal of the European Communities L 349 of 25.11.2004. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:349:0001:0011:EN:PDF

  26. EU NAVFOR (undated) EU NAVFOR Somalia mission – objectives and mandate. Available at: http://www.eunavfor.eu/about-us/mission/

  27. EMSA (2014) The CleanSeaNet service: taking measures to detect and deter marine pollution. EMSA, Lisbon. Pub. 29.08.2014. Available at http://emsa.europa.eu/publications/information-leaflets-and-brochures/item/2123-the-cleanseanet-service.html

  28. European Commission (2005) Directive 2005/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on ship-source pollution and on the introduction of penalties for infringements. Official Journal of the European Communities L255/11-21 of 30.9. 2005. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:255:0011:0021:EN:PDF

  29. EMSA (2013) Pollution preparedness and response activities of the European Maritime Safety Agency– Report 2013. EMSA, Lisbon. Pub: 01.2013. Available at: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/oil-recovery-vessels/opr-documents/opr-reports/item/230-the-pollution-preparedness-a-response-activities-of-the-european-maritime-safety-agency-report.html

  30. Nichiro F et al (2016) Oil spill monitoring in the Mediterranean- COSMO-SkyMed. In: Carpenter A, Kostianoy A (eds) Oil pollution in the Mediterranean sea. Handbook of environmental chemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  31. Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (Italian Space Agency, undated) COSMO-Sky-Med system description and user guide. ASI, Italy. Available at: http://www.e-goes.it/products/pdf/csk-user_guide.pdf

  32. European Space Agency (undated) Introducing Sentinel-1. Available at: Sentinel 1 information from ESA at http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-1/Introducing_Sentinel-1

  33. Topouzelis K, Muellenhoff O, Ferraro G, Bulgarelli B (2008) Satellite monitoring of oil spills in the Mediterranean Sea for 1999-2004. European Commission: Directorate-General Joint Research Centre. Presentation for SeaSAR 2008. Available at: http://earth.esa.int/workshops/seasar2008/participants/126/pres_126_topouzelis.pdf

  34. Ferraro G, Meyer-Roux S, Muellenhoff O, Pavliha M, Svetal J, Tarchi D, Topouzelis K (2009) Long term monitoring of oil spills in European seas. Int J Remote Sens 30(3):637–645

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Morovic M, Ivanov A (2011) Oil spill monitoring in the Croatian Adriatic Waters: needs and possibilities, Acta. Adriatica 52(1):45–56

    Google Scholar 

  36. Carpenter A (2007) The Bonn Agreement aerial surveillance programme: trends in North Sea oil pollution 1986-2004. Mar Pollut Bull 54:149–163

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Carpenter A (2015) Monitoring oil pollution from oil and gas installations in the North Sea. In: Carpenter A (ed) Oil pollution in the North Sea. Handbook of environmental chemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    Angela Carpenter

Authors
  1. Angela Carpenter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Carpenter .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Angela Carpenter

  2. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, S.Yu. Witte Moscow University, Moscow, Russia

    Andrey G. Kostianoy

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Carpenter, A. (2016). European Maritime Safety Agency Activities in the Mediterranean Sea. In: Carpenter, A., Kostianoy, A. (eds) Oil Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea: Part I. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 83. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2016_18

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation