Sustainability and preserving the environment are key priorities for everyone, and rightly so.  And for those that work in a natural environment such as the sea, it is even more of a priority as protecting the natural environment that we rely on to earn a living is something that should be top of our lists.

Aside from oil slicks caused by tanker accidents, oil pollution is also caused by the washing of ships’ tanks, waste from recreational and commercial boats, and the discharge of bilge water amongst other things. These pollutants, however, can now be detected thanks to an innovative project that uses cameras and AI to locate spills.

Spillcontrol

Spillcontrol is a new project launched and privately funded by Garau Ingenieros with the help of Astilleros de Mallorca. It works using a computer algorithm that evaluates the pollution on the surface of the water. This is achieved by interpreting images from a marine pollution control camera that are taken every 15 minutes and uploaded to the system to be evaluated so that it is possible to act quickly if an oil spill is found.

To get the computer algorithm going, photos of spillage were collected online as well as the samples taken in Astilleros de Mallorca who kindly provided their facilities to carry out tests in support of the project. This allowed the system’s artificial intelligence to recognise the shapes and colours of the pollution.

The cameras can be spotted at port service stations where there are often small spills that can occur during refuelling and can also keep an eye out for discharges or cleaning of bilges that should not be happening. If you see any pollution spilling in our waters, please send us a photo of the contamination at: spillfotos@gmail.com

The experts at Garau Ingenieros believe that the data provided by the system will provide the key to understanding the pollution cycle in the port, so that effective action can be taken against it and the sea that sustains us can stay as clean and as healthy as possible.

https://balearicmarinecluster.com/en/

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