A report discussed at the Our Ocean Conference in Greece this week by the nonprofit conservation technology group SkyTruth highlights a significant environmental issue: 757 oil slicks spanning 1.9 million hectares in the Mediterranean Sea, recorded between July 2020 and January 2024. Most of these discharges originated from vessels in transit.
SkyTruth’s findings come from Cerulean, the first free tool integrating artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to monitor oceanic oil pollution and identify likely perpetrators. The platform is a notable advancement in environmental technology, providing transparency and aiding in detecting illegal dumping activities.
The report indicates that Greece’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), coinciding with the conference’s location, recorded the highest incidence of oil slicks, totaling 182. It was followed closely by Italy with 163 and Egypt with 102.
John Amos, CEO of SkyTruth, emphasized the global nature of this issue, requiring international collaboration and decisive action to mitigate. “Vessels dumping toxic oil into the ocean is not new, but our ability to detect this formerly hidden behavior with Cerulean now leaves polluters nowhere to hide,” Amos stated, underlining the importance of increased visibility in addressing environmental challenges.
Additional insights reveal that six flag states—Marshall Islands, Panama, Malta, Singapore, Liberia, and Togo—are linked to over 60% of the identified slicks. Notably, six vessels were repeatedly associated with oil discharges, including container ships and oil/chemical tankers sailing under flags of diverse nations, including Egypt, Hong Kong, Panama, Russia, the Marshall Islands, and Liberia.
The impact on marine protected areas (MPAs) is particularly concerning, with the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor and the Pelagos Sanctuary for the Conservation of Marine Mammals experiencing the highest number of oil slicks. Despite their status as areas promising to safeguard marine biodiversity, they remain under-protected and vulnerable to pollution.
The Mediterranean Sea, home to roughly 11% of the world’s marine species in less than 1% of the global ocean habitat, is warming at a rate 20% faster than the average global seas. This biodiversity hotspot, facing severe pollution risks, has seen a 41% decrease in marine mammal populations over the past 50 years.
In response to these challenges and as part of a broader initiative to protect marine environments, SkyTruth launched the “30x30 Progress Tracker.” This new digital tool, supported by the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, aggregates critical marine biodiversity data to track global and regional progress towards the 30x30 target—aiming to protect 30% of the world’s ocean and land areas by 2030. The platform is a resource for civil society, policymakers, and the general public to enhance engagement and transparency in conservation efforts.
Amos highlighted, “At SkyTruth we aim to make the invisible, visible. At Our Ocean we’re hoping to raise awareness about chronic oil pollution as well as efforts to protect marine biodiversity. The first step to progressing on these issues is for people to be aware.”
