Croatia: Detecting and tracking ocean fuel spills

Thousands of oil spills, releasing tens of thousands of tons of oil into marine ecosystems, are recorded every year. Smaller patches of oil-derived leakages and uncontrolled discharges, such as diesel, make the situation even worse for many coastal areas, posing a threat to marine ecosystems, biodiversity and coastal economies. With the steady increase in maritime transport of oil and gas, enhancing monitoring procedures to detect fuel spills has become crucial. Croatian company, SeaCras, is pioneering a new tool for monitoring marine pollution, supporting ocean preservation.

Currently, the main reason fuel discharges can go undetected is the lack of classification for lookalike patches of organic matter on the sea surface. Naturally occurring phenomena, such as biogenic slicks, leeward sides of islands, low-windspeed areas, rainfall zones and internal waves complicate analysis, especially for remote sensing operators. SeaCras led the Eureka project Sar2dem, in partnership with Polish company Orbify, to develop a tool for detecting fuel spills and visualising marine and atmospheric data sourced from a combination of synthetic aperture radars and optical sensors, improving detection rates, accuracy and monitoring frequency.

Eurostars helped us not only by providing much-needed funding in the product development phase, but SeaCras also benefited from the network visibility and proof of excellence. Furthermore, SeaCras exploited the Horizon IP Scan service, which was included as the part of the package of services for grant awardees.

Mario Špadina – co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at SeaCras

The tool, named Sar2dem after the Eureka project, employs proprietary algorithms for satellite imagery processing and an innovative approach to data analysis, achieving a success rate of more than 80% in fuel spill detection, even for patches of only a few hundred square metres. It also allows users to differentiate between manmade pollution from oil spills and uncontrolled sewage discharges near port areas, as well as natural phenomena such as algae blooms. By combining satellite-derived water quality parameters, satellite images and sea current vector field maps, the project partners have achieved superior detection and identification capabilities, ideal for complementing the European Maritime Safety Agency’s CleanSeaNet system.

Eureka and the Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO) supported access to funding, which was used to employ additional researchers with complementary skill sets. Eureka helped increase innovation capacity whilst also reducing costs and reliance on specialised laboratories for estimating dissolved organic matter in on-site water samples. The international consortium capitalised on the current socioeconomic and environmental climate in the European Union by combining the experiences and know-how of both companies.

SeaCras has created new unique value propositions and revenue models to drive client adoption. Today, Sar2dem serves multiple Adriatic region port operators and authorities in the maritime sector. On the first day of SeaCras’ commercial venture with its initial client, a rare amplified solar flare caused satellites in the orbit to enter safety mode. Although SeaCras could not deliver an image to the client on that day, the relationship has endured. The Croatian company has since generated significant income thanks to the project; Sar2dem now contributes to around 30% of SeaCras’ revenue.

The added value of Sar2dem lies in its wide area coverage, frequent and affordable monitoring and alert notifications. The scope of commercial area that can be accurately monitored has expanded by 1,200 kilometres, covering Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Hence, SeaCras’ marine pollution tool is helping major stretches of our oceans stay clean.