NATIONAL AERIAL SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM

Transport Canada keeps a watchful eye over ships transiting Canadian waters through its National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP). The NASP is the primary tool for detecting ship-source pollution in waters under Canadian jurisdiction. Evidence gathered by NASP crews is used by Transport Canada and Environment Canada to enforce the provisions of all Canadian legislation applicable to illegal discharges from ships, including the Canada Shipping Act and the Migratory Birds Convention Act.

Internationally, aerial surveillance is widely adopted and considered to be the most effective method for the detection of oil spills. The NASP is the principle method available to Transport Canada for detecting any illegal discharges at sea.

Aerial pollution surveillance has been conducted over Canada’s Great Lakes since 1968. In 1991, the Canadian Coast Guard expanded the program’s area of coverage to include the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and the NASP was created. In December 2003, responsibility for the NASP was transferred back to Transport Canada from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans through an Order in Council.

The NASP currently uses four fixed-wing aircrafts that are located strategically across Canada to conduct pollution surveillance. Three aircrafts are owned and operated by Transport Canada. Additionally, through an agreement with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Transport Canada uses Provincial Airlines Limited (PAL) aircraft for pollution patrols and validation of Radarsat imagery as part of the I-STOP (Integrated Satellite Tracking of Polluters) project, in waters off Newfoundland and Labrador.

The department has undertaken a number of initiatives to further enhance its NASP. Transport Canada has secured additional funding; to improve the frequency of pollution patrols, and expand pollution surveillance to areas not normally patrolled, such as the Arctic. Other initiatives include multitasking with other government departments to ensure each surveillance hour is as productive as possible and upgrading its mission specific surveillance equipment.

Transport Canada has acquired two integrated suites of marine pollution surveillance equipment, to aid in protecting Canada’s ocean resources for the benefit of coastal communities while protecting fragile marine ecosystems. These surveillance systems will assist Transport Canada in the detection, classification and tracking of all targets of potential interest and marine oil spills. It is also a clear statement that the federal government takes marine pollution seriously.

The first system, which has been installed on a Transport Canada Dash 8 pollution surveillance aircraft, is now operational with trained crew. This aircraft is used to conduct pollution surveillance in the Atlantic, Quebec and Ontario Regions. The second system will be used for surveillance over Canada’s West Coast and Western Arctic waters. This will result in Transport Canada having a very capable identical surveillance system on both coasts, which will significantly enhance the effectiveness of the NASP by allowing more effective enforcement of Canada’s domestic pollution legislation.

Acquiring this surveillance equipment ensures that Canada exceeds the capability offered by many other countries tasked with preventing pollution from ships and protecting the marine environment. It enables Transport Canada to enter a new era of pollution prevention by conducting surveillance during hours of darkness or reduced visibility, when it is suspected that many illegal discharges occur during this time.

The MSS6000 enables Transport Canada to track and identify polluters and obtain prosecution information in all weather conditions on a 24-hour basis; this is a capability that was not previously available in Canada. Transport Canada anticipates in the future, that on an annual basis, 25 to 30 per cent of the pollution patrols will be conducted during hours of darkness. This will greatly increase the productivity of the program.

Aerial surveillance can be an effective tool in combating ship-source marine pollution by detecting oil spills and gathering evidence to prosecute polluters. The ongoing presence of pollution patrols can also have be a deterrent to potential polluters in much the same way as the visible presence of police cruisers can reduce speeding on our highways.

During fiscal year 2005-2006, Transport Canada conducted over 1,548 hours of dedicated pollution patrol over Canadian waters. This was a new record for the NASP; The second highest amount ever recorded was 1,366 hours, during fiscal year 1994/1995.

Transport Canada is forecasting 2,000 pollution patrol hours this fiscal year, however this is highly dependent on weather and aircraft availability.

The following NASP statistics outline the breakdown of aerial surveillance patrol hours in Atlantic Canada and nationally:

During fiscal year 2005-2006, there were 78 pollution incidents detected nationally.  Five (5) of those were ship-source spills and 73 were mystery spills. In the Atlantic Region, there were a total of 17 pollution sightings, 10 were ship source spills (2 in Newfoundland and Labrador waters, and 8 in the rest of the Maritimes), 6 were reported as mystery spills (4 in Newfoundland and Labrador and 2 in the Maritimes) and one land based spill was reported in Newfoundland and Labrador.

During fiscal year 2005-2006, five to six hundred (500-600) pollution patrol hours were forecasted for the Newfoundland and Labrador area. Unfortunately, 37 days were lost to weather and unserviceable aircraft and there were many other days when aircraft were not available for Transport Canada’s use.

Transport Canada is forecasting over 800 pollution patrol hours in Atlantic Region during the 2006-2007 fiscal year. Again, this will be highly dependent on weather and aircraft availability. 

I-STOP

Transport Canada is also a strong partner in the Integrated Satellite Tracking of Polluter’s (I-STOP) project, which uses earth observation technology (Radarsat imagery) to look for oil-like signatures (anomalies) on the ocean’s surface that could be indicative of an oil spill.  To supplement ongoing NASP pollution surveillance flights, Transport Canada uses Radarsat as an early warning system to direct pollution surveillance flights to the locations of potential pollution incidents.

Increasingly, surveillance flights are being timed to coincide with Radarsat passes so that surface anomalies can be checked to ascertain if there is an oil spill. Transport Canada will spend $300,000 this fiscal year on Radarsat imagery as part of the I-STOP project.  Fiscal year 2005-2006 was a record year for the I-STOP project with regard to the amount of imagery acquired. There were a total of 971 images acquired, representing a 25 per cent increase over the previous year.

Sixty-three (63) per cent of the images taken during 2005-2006 were over Canadian waters off Atlantic Canada and of those, 38.5 per cent were over Newfoundland and Labrador waters.

Transport Canada is committed to continuously enhancing the protection of the Canadian marine environment from ship-source pollution through the National Aerial Surveillance Program and other initiatives.

The acquisition of marine pollution surveillance equipment, coupled with ongoing programs such as I-STOP, will significantly strengthen Canada's surveillance capability.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The surveillance now installed on Transport Canada’s Dash 8 pollution surveillance aircraft includes the following sensors and components:

• Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) – used to detect anomalies on the ocean’s surface. This is an all-weather radar and can be used during conditions of reduced visibility (darkness or low cloud cover).
• Ultraviolet Infrared Line Scanner (UVIR) – used to analyze an oil slick and assists in identifying false positives.
• Electro-optical Infrared Camera System (EOIR) – used for long-range identification of ships and collection of evidence. This sensor can also be used during conditions of reduced visibility (darkness or low cloud cover).
• Automatic Identification System (AIS) Transponder Receiver – used to obtain vessel identity and voyage information.
• Data uplink system – enables crew to transmit data from air to ground in real time.
• Geo-coded Digital Camera System (still and video cameras) - used to obtain evidence during pollution incidents.

December 2006