Since 2015, the coast guard aircraft has been equipped with the sensor initially to monitor sulfur oxide emissions, but since 2021 black carbon has appeared on the radar.
Black carbon – also often called ‘soot’ in Dutch – is a category of fine particles mainly derived from the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels such as fossil fuels (diesel and coal), biomass (wood) and biofuels.
Impact
In June this year, the air surveillance team published an article in the scientific journal ‘Atmosphere’ about black carbon emissions from shipping traffic in the southern North Sea and the English Channel. This was done on the basis of 886 measurements in the period from 2021 to 2024, which is also the first scientific research of that magnitude carried out in the maritime areas of Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom.
The preliminary results show that these emissions are higher than previously assumed. The fine particles have an impact on the health of the population and contribute significantly to climate change.
Black carbon emissions from shipping have not yet been regulated, although discussions have been ongoing since 2011. These discussions take place within the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an agency of the United Nations. Belgium has been a member of the IMO council since November 26, 2025.