News8 February 2011 Oil Spill of 11th January 2011 Porto Torres - Fiume Santo Cabu Aspru (Sassari, Sardinia) |
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Following the oil spill event near Cabu Aspru (Sassari, Sardinia), over the period 11–29 January 2001, the e-GEOS Emergency team and Maritime Geospatial Products and Services division supported the Italian Coast Guard and the Ministry of Environment through satellite data acquisition, processing and product delivery, using the satellite missions COSMO-SkyMed, ERS2 and ENVISAT.
This was possible thanks to the e-GEOS Emergency response capability set up for immediate response, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and thanks also to the experience acquired by e-GEOS during the EC EMSA CSN (CleanSeaNet) service operated by e-GEOS in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, since 2007. The first image available of the area for the on-going MARISS project, (an ESA project led by e-GEOS) was an ESA ERS 2 image of the 11th (10:13 UTC); while the first COSMO-SkyMed data was acquired and processed on the 14th. The oil spill originated during oil unloading operations from the M/C Emerald, from Donges (France). Due to a welding break in the hydrothermal plant pipeline, a relatively large quantity of oil was dumped into the sea.
The size of the oil slick, as revealed by the first satellite imagery acquired over the area after the event, was of about 0,97 km2. Analysis of the images associated against the literature on reported thickness of this type of spill led to an estimate of the volume of about 48,5 m3. This event shows how SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites can be of help in early warning in cases of oil accidents. In emergencies, it is very important to provide prompt, active support to the authorities for detecting oil slicks and monitoring their evolution. This is possible thanks to the multi-mission satellite acquisition capability such as that owned and operated by e-GEOS which guarantees a fully operational, 24/7 service. Moreover, as shown by the 11th January image (acquired 6h before official communication of the event), a regular monitoring program can help with the prevention and detection of polluters.
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broken pipe line
