Government is working on a new aircraft for coastal surveillance

Although the Belgian part of the North Sea represents only 0.5% of the North Sea surface, it is located in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Moreover, a lot of human activities are combined in that limited space. To ensure that everyone at sea complies with the regulations, Belgium is the only country in the world to deploy a sniffer aircraft. Since 2015, the focus has mainly been on air pollution. Sensors measure, among other things, sulphur, nitrogen emissions and soot particles.

Invest in a new device

However, the current device is 46 years old and needs to be replaced. That is why the government now wants to invest in a new device that can also be used to monitor critical infrastructures, such as gas pipelines. Over the past 30 years, the aircraft has flown more than 7,000 hours over Belgian waters. It found 625 oil spills and caught about 50 ships in the act.