More than 2,000 vessel detections in the environmentally sensitive marine areas of Lady’s Mile, Latsi-Akamas and Cape Greco were recorded by satellite observations during selected summer periods in 2024 and 2025.
According to an announcement by the Cypriot technology company PERIOPSIS Ltd, the study was carried out in cooperation with the Marine and Environmental Research (MER) Lab and Finn Lageveen, a student in the Creative Technology programme at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
Prevention is key
A total of 2,060 vessel detections were recorded, providing new insight into environmental pressures in three of Cyprus’ most important marine protected areas.
The areas protect ecologically valuable coastal habitats, including underwater meadows of the seagrass Posidonia. These meadows provide important nursery and feeding grounds for marine species, support biodiversity, contribute to coastal protection and help sequester carbon.
“As this particular marine plant grows very slowly, damage can be caused within a few seconds and remain for decades, making its prevention particularly important,” the announcement states.
The analysis used PERIOPSIS LTD’s Artificial Intelligence vessel detection service, which relies on visible-spectrum satellite imagery to identify vessels at sea. The detections were compared with data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), through which vessels transmit information about their identity and course.
Satellite monitoring
Of the 2,060 detections, 1,114, or approximately 54%, did not correspond to an available AIS signal. According to the announcement, this “reveals a significant monitoring gap between what could be observed from space and what appeared in conventional monitoring systems”. “This finding underlines the importance of remote sensing in this type of research,” it adds.
Satellite images do not reconstruct the full route of each vessel, but they do show the repeated presence of vessels and the areas where activity is concentrated.
At the same time, since the analysis is based on one satellite observation per day, the actual number of detections may be significantly higher than the 2,060 recorded.
Combined with AIS data and patrols, satellite monitoring can help create a more complete picture of activity in sensitive marine waters and identify persistent monitoring gaps.
“The combination of regular satellite observations with on-site monitoring at sea and seabed surveys could help identify the pressure caused by anchoring, assess potential impacts and protect important marine ecosystems and the species they support,” the announcement states.
Source: CNA
