Agreement between ESA and the European Maritime Safety Agency signed today (Forwarded)

European Space Agency
Press Release No. 12-2007
Paris, France 2 March 2007

Agreement between ESA and the European Maritime Safety Agency signed today

Today, 2 March 2007, Mr Willem de Ruiter, Executive Director of the European
Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and Mr Volker Liebig, ESA's Director of Earth
Observation Programmes, signed an agreement between the two agencies,
strengthening the framework for cooperation in the field of maritime
monitoring and surveillance.

The signature took place at the final preparatory stage of EMSA's new
satellite-based oil spill monitoring service covering all European waters
and adjacent high seas. Under this service, potential oil slicks are
detected using satellite radar images and an alert is provided to EU coastal
States and EMSA within 30 minutes of the satellite acquiring the image. This
information is used in support of the aerial and vessel surveillance
capabilities of coastal Member States to ensure that they detect and
communicate all significant discharges.

Under this arrangement, EMSA will be supported by ESA on issues relating to
the development of space technologies for maritime monitoring and
surveillance. In the light of its role as a long term operational European
user of satellite technology, EMSA will advise ESA on user requirements for
new space systems and infrastructure.

According to Mr de Ruiter, "The agreement with ESA is very valuable for the
new European oil spill monitoring service of the Agency. ESA's Earth
observation satellite Envisat is an extremely powerful tool that will enable
us to provide valuable additional services to EU Member States in the fight
to control ship-sourced pollution."

ESA has, for the last 30 years, been developing new space technologies,
systems and associated applications, and transferring these for user
activities. It recognises EMSA as a key European operational user of space
technologies and satellite-derived information.

Mr Liebig stated that, "we see this agreement with EMSA as a major milestone
in the operational use of data from Earth observation satellites in Europe."

The EC and ESA are developing the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment
and Security) initiative. The objective of GMES is to provide Europe with
reliable, timely information on environmental and security issues on a
sustainable basis, in support of public policy-makers' needs.

The development of the GMES Space Component, coordinated by ESA, will ensure
that organisations such as EMSA have guaranteed long term access to
appropriate satellite observations in support of their environment- and
security-related monitoring requirements. In particular, the Sentinel 1
satellite will ensure the continuity of the Envisat radar observations on
which the new EMSA surveillance service is based.

The availability of Earth observation products, particularly near-real-time
radar covering wide areas, is essential for the long-term sustainability of
EMSA's operational maritime monitoring and surveillance services. With this
agreement, ESA affirms its strong commitment to taking into account EMSA's
needs, both as regards the currently operational Envisat ASAR and also with
respect to the preparation of future SAR missions.

Launched in 2002, Envisat is the largest Earth observation spacecraft ever
built. It carries ten sophisticated optical and radar instruments to provide
continuous observation and monitoring of the Earth's land, atmosphere,
oceans and ice caps. The data returned by its suite of instruments have
facilitated and continue to facilitate the development of a number of
operational and commercial applications.

For further information, please contact:

Simonetta Cheli
Head of the Coordination Office
Directorate of Earth Observation Programme
Tel: + 39.06.9418.03.50
Fax: + 39.06.9418.09.52

EMSA External Communications
Louis Baumard
Tel: +351.21.12.09.250
(louis.baumard @ emsa.eu.int)
or
Andrew Stimpson
Tel: +351.21.12.09.276
(andrew.stimpson @ emsa.eu.int)

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