Cerulean: Tracking Down Polluters at Sea
Healthy oceans are essential for biodiversity, a stable climate, and our survival. Today, we subject our seas to significant stressors, such as hazardous emissions from the growing international maritime industry, and discharges from the offshore oil and gas sector. The international maritime traffic is expected to continue its growth, and the risky extraction of oil reserves in deep waters is on the rise. Historically, monitoring in open waters has been inadequate, leading to both unintentional and deliberate waste dumping or discharges from ships’ fuel tanks occurring without repercussions.
The organization SkyTruth has developed a tool and platform, Cerulean, that illuminates the hidden impacts of global shipping and offshore oil and gas development, exposing the polluters. This platform is the first of its kind with global reach, will be free, user-friendly, and capable of identifying polluters through ships’ GPS history, AI models, and satellite data. The platform is brand new and was launched at the end of 2023. To reach its full potential, awareness of the technology needs to increase, and the ability to use it effectively must be disseminated.
In this project, SkyTruth aims to improve the ability to combat emissions and pollution at sea by promoting and increasing the use of a satellite and AI-based monitoring tool.
The project is supported with 4 450 000 SEK.
What’s happening in the project?
- – Development of informational and communication materials about the tool, its functions, and its value, as well as creating user guides.
- – Conducting training for strategically important actors who are deemed to have the potential to contribute to policy changes, accountability, or to raise awareness about the extent of the problem with oil pollution.
- – Collaborating with civil society to perform and disseminate analyses using the platform’s data.
Why is the project supported?
The project contributes to improved capabilities to combat emissions and pollution at sea, thereby leading to healthier oceans in the long term.
Project time status
57%
This project started in October 2023 and ends in September 2025
For more information: https://skytruth.org/
