A network of receiving stations in Norway, Italy and the Azores will receive the satellite data, which will then be relayed to control centres for rapid processing and analysis by rained operators.

The operators will assess the images generated, together with external meteorological information, to determine the likelihood of the presence of oil on the sea surface and the source of pollution.

The processed and analysed information will then be sent simultaneously to the national authorities in the affected Member States and to EMSA. The time from data acquisition by the satellite to the receipt of processed information by pollution control authorities will be a maximum of 30 minutes.

EMSA has signed a contract with Eurimage SpA, which is the authorised commercial license distributor for Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images from the European Space Agency (ESA) ENVISAT satellite. For access to RADARSAT data, a contract has been signed with MDA, which is the holder of the distribution rights to Canada’s RADARSAT-1 satellite and the future RADARSAT-2 satellite which will be launched later this year.

A consortium of service providers is responsible for the downloading, processing, analysis and dissemination of the images and derived information, including alerts to participating coastal states and to EMSA. The consortium consists of Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (Norway), Telespazio SpA (Italy) and Edisoft (Portugal).

The system is linked to national and regional pollution response chains and is provided to coastal states with the ability to locate and identify polluters in areas under their jurisdiction.

Sea regions covered by CleanSeaNet include the Baltic; the North Sea and areas around the UK, Norway and Iceland; the Mediterranean; the Western Black Sea; and the canary Islands and Atlantic EEZ (from 2008).