Real-time spill detection - automatically

Do you know how many spills occur in your marina and where they originate? If the answer is no, a team of Spanish environmentally conscious specialists can help you take control.

Garau Ingenieros, Ocean Drivers and Dr Mariano Morell have worked to develop and promote an automatic spill detection system aptly named Spillcontrol. The system uses the most up-to-date technology to economically deliver an environmental real-time monitoring process that speeds up spill detection and thus minimises pollution risks.
A fully commercial product, Spillcontrol has been installed in three marinas in the Balearic Islands – Marina Botafoch in Ibiza, and Club Nàutic Portitxol and Club Nàutic Arenal in Mallorca – and other marinas are expressing interest.
The system involves the installation of fully autonomous cameras (no need for connection to the power grid or Wi-Fi networks) at any location in the marina. These take images of the water, which are sent to the Spillcontrol servers. Using AI analysis via the system’s proprietary algorithm, spills can be detected and quantified via image analysis. If a spill is detected, an alarm or notification is issued.
Spillcontrol records all data and it is easy to extract specific information, such as frequency, type and location of spills. This enables the marina operator to pinpoint any problem areas and take corrective action. The system helps facilities avoid fines for spills that did not originate in the marina by generating necessary documentation, helps the marina to stay ahead of future environmental requirements, and assists in obtaining ISO 14001 or EMAS environmental management certifications.
Equally importantly, it sends a clear message to customers that the marina is at the forefront of environmental innovation and cares about clean water. This is the ethos upon which Garau Ingenieros began the Spillcontrol journey – and here’s the background.
Garau Ingenieros is a civil engineering firm based in Mallorca that undertakes a variety of projects, such as roads, urban developments, wastewater systems, coastal works and harbours and marinas. “Our firm has a long tradition that began with my great grandfather,” says CEO Carlos Garau Fullana. “He was a civil engineer and for some years was the director of Palma Harbour. I represent the fourth generation of civil engineers in the family.”
Garau is an innovator who sought to make the best of his talented team. “We began work with drone topography, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other innovations but we wanted to go beyond this and find our own niche – a speciality that specifically suited us,” he emphasises. “Because we love harbours, we know a lot about how to improve water quality, and because it makes no sense to have top quality harbours and marinas with poor sea water quality, we decided to move the company focus towards improving the marine water environment.”
The shift in focus was made around four years ago and involved collaboration with Ocean Drivers, a software and hardware firm specialising in marine developments, and Mariano Morell, a civil engineer whose PhD thesis explored the science behind Spillcontrol.
Other projects are also under development: CleanPort, a Spillcontrol development to create a harbour quality system based on AI and expert systems; and CICERO, a water quality system.
“We are in the pre-commercial phase of the CICERO project, which is being authorised by Puertos del Estado, the organisation that manages the various port authorities in Spain,” Garau says. “Puertos del Estado has a very interesting programme, Ports 4.0, that promotes innovative projects related to different aspects of port operations. We have been granted €300,000 for our project, which has a development cost of €500,000 over three years.” CICERO seeks better water quality via the natural processes already present in harbour waters, without the need for chemical products.
www.spillcontrol.es