Recently refurbished oil spill response vessel (OSRV) Aktea II has commenced operations in the Aegean Sea, where it will assist the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in protecting this territory. The 2007-built vessel has embarked on these Aegean missions on a four-year contract with EMSA, with the possibility to extend this period by another four years in 2026.
According to the vessel’s owner – pollution response specialist Environmental Protection Engineering (EPE), which purchased the former tanker in 2021 – Aktea II will be able to reach “anywhere in the Aegean within 24 hours” from its home port of Piraeus. Polrom Oil Maritime Company will operate the vessel. Capable of storing up to 4,486m3 of recovered oil, the 91m x 15m OSRV incorporates two rigid sweeping arms and offshore booms, each measuring 250m, and a high-capacity skimmer. Following the overhaul, Aktea II has also been fitted with a radar-based oil slick detection system, for quicker response times and more efficient clean-up operations. The vessel can accommodate 14 crew members.
EPE says that it has successfully responded to more than 2,500 marine pollution incidents since its formation in 1977, including a role in controlling the oil spill caused by the sinking of the product tanker Agia Zoni II off the coast of Piraeus in September 2017.
