Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2025, V. 22, No. 6, pp. 79-86
Radar mapping of the oil spill in the Baltic Sea after the Globe Asimi tanker accident in 1981
V.I. Gornyy
1 , V.L. Shcherbakov
2 1 Saint Petersburg Federal Research Center RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2 All-Union Research Institute of Remote Sensing Methods in Geology, Leningrad, USSR
Accepted: 06.10.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2025-22-6-79-86
In November 1981, the Globe Asimi British tanker with about 16,000 tons of fuel oil suffered an accident while leaving the port of Klaipeda (Lithuania) during a severe storm. A significant amount of this fuel was spilled into the water. In conditions of continuing stormy weather, aerial survey by the Nit’ side-looking radar installed on AN-24 aircraft was the effective way to assess the extent of the pollution and direct resources to deal with the aftermaths of the accident. This brief report aims to describe the first use of aerial radar survey during a storm in response to the catastrophic oil spill in the Baltic Sea. It also aims to draw parallel with the present day when tanker transportation volumes have increased significantly, making this experience particularly relevant.
Keywords: Baltic Sea, Klaipeda, 1981, storm, tanker, accident, fuel oil, pollution, airborne radar, mapping
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