World News
Drones to Monitor Vessel Emissions in the Bosphorus Strait
Istanbul's Metropolitan Municipality (IMA) will deploy surveillance drones in the Bosphorus Strait from this March in order to monitor vessel emissions, local media reports.
"When needed, we conduct an inspection via helicopter within the context of a program. Starting in March, we will also conduct inspections using drones," said Mustafa Tahmaz, head of the municipality's environmental pollution control department.
The drones are expected to be a new, more efficient way to accomplish the task.
Turkey is understood to have already begun training the operators that will control the drones used in the Bosphorus.
"Our teams have been conducting inspections 24 hours a day. When pollution [in the strait] is detected, then it is photographed, and video records as well as samples [from the strait] are obtained," said Tahmaz.
"The samples are analyzed and if the relevant ship is causing pollution above standard levels among its likes, then a penalty is imposed on the ship based on its size."
The IMA joins a growing list of agencies using drones to monitor regulatory compliance.
In November of 2015 Ship & Bunker reported that the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) was "embracing" drones for maritime surveillance and emissions monitoring.
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