The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has agreed a multi-year framework contract with ICEYE, a provider of satellite monitoring services, to support the management of various aspects of maritime operations with SAR (search and rescue) data.
EMSA, a European Union agency, supports the maritime surveillance activities of the national authorities of EU Member States linked with a wide range of coast guard functions. ICEYE will deliver SAR imagery to EMSA over the course of the contract to improve its operational support capabilities.
ICEYE owns the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation and the data from its spaceborne sensors can be combined with auxiliary information sources from the ground to deliver improved situational awareness.
“Just like our satellites, maritime operations operate around the clock. Radar imaging technology can see the Earth day and night and in all weather conditions,” said Pekka Laurila, ICEYE Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer.
“Space based imagery is an ideal tool to quickly, efficiently and effectively support maritime disaster response and recovery operations, as well as to enforce EU maritime regulations and support local authorities.”
ICEYE’s small radar imaging satellites can form high-resolution images in daylight, at night, and through cloud cover, able to ‘see’ any part of the Earth multiple times a day. The satellites can collect images over wide areas, or more detailed images over smaller points of interest such as a ship or oil facility.
