Kongsberg to monitor possible pollution on Norwegian Shelf
Staff Writer |
NOFO (Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies) and KSAT (Kongsberg Satellite Services) has signed an extended agreement for satellite-based remote sensing.
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The agreement is for the Norwegian Continental Shelf, for detection of acute pollution from petroleum activity.
This agreement represents a solid boost for the detection of oil spills on the Norwegian shelf, enabling rapid deployment of an oil recovery operation by having all fields in production monitored daily by satellite.
KSAT has delivered its satellite-based oil spill detection service to the industry, through NOFO, since 2005. The service is based on oil spill detection using radar satellites.
The images are downloaded at KSATs ground stations and analyzed by experts in Tromsø. The results are then delivered quickly to NOFO, which is then responsible for forwarding the results to the operating companies.
From October 1, 2016, the frequency of this service has increased significantly. The purpose of the new agreement is to ensure early detection and early warning of acute oil spills.
Operators on the Norwegian shelf applied to the Norwegian Environment Agency for revision of the terms on remote sensing, and the use of satellites has been selected as the primary detection tool for detection of possible oil spills from petroleum activities on the Norwegian shelf.
This technology has proven to be the most operationally, and cost effective method, for monitoring large areas of sea, and each field is now being monitored on a daily basis.
Over the course of many years of cooperation, KSAT, together with NOFO, has established a simple and cost-effective remote sensing system for the Norwegian shelf.
KSAT is responsible for planning, ordering, acquisition, and analysis of the satellite data, and then reporting the results to NOFO, in addition to a 24/7 emergency support service.
Radar Satellite imagery can cover such large areas that several fields are covered in the same image, which leads to cost savings for the operators, particularly when they team up for the service under the collaborative umbrella that NOFO provides. ■
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