Objectives of the service
The project assesses how space-enabled information can strengthen methane-emission awareness in ports and nearby maritime areas. It focuses on helping port and maritime stakeholders screen complex operating environments, interpret potential methane-related observations and identify where further review or local confirmation may be most useful.
ZeEMPS explores a practical digital service that presents satellite-derived methane information together with vessel activity, port context and environmental conditions as traceable decision-support information.
Users and their needs
Potential users include:
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Port authorities and terminal operators, seeking a wider and more consistent view of potential methane observations across port infrastructure, berths, vessels and adjacent waters.
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Public authorities, regulators and assurance organisations, requiring transparent, traceable and appropriately qualified information to support review, reporting and follow-up processes.
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LNG terminals and energy operators, interested in scalable screening and analytical support that can complement local monitoring and help prioritise methane-management activities.
Service/ system concept
The ZeEMPS service concept combines satellite-based methane observations with vessel, meteorology and port information in an integrated digital workflow. The aim is to help users interpret potential methane-related signals in their operational context and recognise observations that may require expert review, local confirmation or operational follow-up.
The differentiating feature of ZeEMPS is the integration of methane observations with port, vessel and environmental context. This supports expert interpretation, initial indication of potential plume-source areas and prioritised follow-up, while keeping confidence, assumptions and limitations visible to users.
Space Added Value
Earth Observation provides a wide-area and repeatable perspective on ports and surrounding maritime environments. ZeEMPS uses a sensor-agnostic processing approach so methane-relevant observations from different hyperspectral satellite sensors can be assessed within a common workflow. For suitable observations, this provides spatial detail at a scale relevant to port infrastructure, berths, vessels and potential plume-source areas.
Satellite AIS and other vessel information help relate methane observations to vessel movements, berth activity and maritime operations. Combined with wind, weather and other environmental information, these space-derived inputs support a more complete basis for expert review.
Space assets add value by enabling consistent screening across multiple locations, providing comparable evidence over time and guiding further analysis or local confirmation where it is most relevant.
Current Status
The expected result is an assessed service concept showing how space-enabled information can support methane-emission awareness and decision-making in port and maritime contexts.
The study develops representative use cases, gathers feedback on user relevance and identifies technical, operational and service-design considerations for a possible next phase.
Publicly shared results focus on the overall service value, user relevance and added value of space-enabled information, rather than confidential implementation details.
ZeEMPS is an ongoing ESA-funded feasibility study led by DNV, with NILU contributing expertise in atmospheric analysis and environmental data evaluation.
The project has defined the service concept and is assessing user relevance, clarity of information, confidence communication and the potential scope of a future service in representative port scenarios.
Feedback from potential users helps determine the most valuable applications, the improvements still required and the appropriate scope for a possible next phase.
For more information about the project, please contact Barbara Scarnato (Barbara.scarnato@dnv.com), DNV.
Prime Contractor(s)
