Luanda - The capacity to monitor and collect alerts of oil spills in the Angolan sea, in real time, regulated and supervised by the National Oil and Gas Agency (ANPG), will be strengthened through the technological solution "Tech-Ecologia".
According to a press release to which ANGOP had access this Wednesday, Tech-Ecologia enables daily, weekly or upon request monitoring of a given oil block, providing online offshore oil spill monitoring reports.
This tool, developed by the National Space Programme Management Office (GGPEN), also has the mission of providing data on the frequency and extension of the area affected by spills.
Satellite images also allow large areas of the ocean to be observed at low cost, says the note.
Oil spills are considered a major risk to the environment in terms of preserving life in the oceans and are also a threat to the blue economy.
It is estimated that in Africa an average of 6.69 tonnes of oil is spilled for every one million tonnes produced.
However, given the challenge of monitoring oil spills in the seas of Africa and Angola in particular, GGPEN has created the space technology application Tech-Ecology that allows to supervise and identify oil spills through satellite images.
Strengthening the capacity to monitor spills at sea is part of the existing contract between ANPG and GGPEN that will serve to curb oil spills on the Angolan coast.
In this regard, the chairman of the ANPG Board of Directors, Paulino Jerónimo, visited, this Wednesday, the facilities of the GGPEN, located in the municipality of Talatona, in Luanda.
Created by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Social Communication (MINTTICS), within the scope of the National Space Programme, the Laboratory for Research and Development of Space Technology Solutions aims to develop solutions aimed at supporting the national economy in the most varied sectors, such as industry, agriculture, the environment and public works.
QCB/BA/MRA/jmc
