Increasing Situational Awareness of Conflict Linked Oil Pollution with VHR Satellite Imagery

Nov 11, 2021 | Skye Boag and Wim Zwijnenburg
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In regards to maritime and the environmental impacts this industry can impose, VHR satellite imagery can be a useful tool for monitoring and tracing oil pollution on the seas surface, identifying those responsible for the pollution and assisting emergency services in coordinating efficient clean-up efforts. Surveillance is imperative to providing this ‘situational awareness’ during an oil spill response operation.

Over the last two years, Yemeni territorial waters in the Gulf of Aden and the surrounding Red Sea have been exposed to numerous oil spills from ships and abandoned, attacked or illegally seized oil tankers and thereby causing significant strain on marine life, biodiversity and the citizens living along the coast. The Red Sea is a major global shipping route for oil and other trades and these incidents not only have an enormous environmental impact but also disrupt the world’s economy.

The Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Baniyas, Syria, has experienced numerous incidents of oil pollution, both catastrophic and minor, in recent years. This has resulted in ecological disasters that have affected surrounding countries including Israel and Lebanon.