Detektor ropných skvrn z lodí

On-board detector of oil spills from ships The OSIS sensor system, shown here on the oil rig, needs to be adapted for use on ships A new Danish LIFE-Environment project is seeking to develop a special sensor able to monitor oil spills from ships. This follows on from the work of another LIFE project, just ended, by the same beneficiary – OSIS International, a privately owned Danish SME – which achieved good results in tests for the detection of spills from fixed offshore installations. While the first project (see the October 2005 issue of LIFEnews) concentrated on developing a permanently mounted sensor on oil rigs, this latest project aims to develop and test a sensor and a transmission system suited to marine transport. Speaking at a launch conference, held in Brussels on 16 September, Project Manager Peter Moeller-Jensen said: “We wanted first to test a sensor on a fixed structure before working on this project. With a ship, we had more problems to solve. For instance, behind the ship, there is a lot of turbulent water: how do we measure that?” He went on to explain that the new OSIS sensor will record data from a vessel that is moving at a speed of 5 to 15 metres per second. The sensor will also be able to transmit data from a vessel that is constantly changing its geographic position. To assist the team in particular with the mathematical modelling, the beneficiary has enlisted the assistance of project partner, the University of Vilnius, Lithuania. The new sensor, as well as the permanently mounted sensor tested in the first project on oil rigs, will identify oil spills in ‘real-time’, allowing decision-makers to take corrective action rapidly. The technology should be well received, as recent estimates show that one-third of the world’s oil pollution originates from activities related to marine transportation. ZDROJ:EU-Life