EMSA has joined the Spanish Directorate General of the Merchant Marine, the Spanish Search & Rescue Agency, Salvamento Marítimo, the Port Authority of Vigo, the Galician Coastguard Services, and other Spanish and international maritime stakeholders in the POLEX26 response exercise, taking place in Vigo, Spain.

The exercise simulates a fire on board a Ro-Ro vessel carrying electric vehicles, which then escalates into a marine pollution incident, testing coordination and response capabilities across multiple authorities. The three-day event also incorporates training and information-sharing between experts from the different participating authorities.

As part of its support to EU Member States, EMSA is contributing to the exercise with the deployment of the chartered oil spill response vessel Ría de Vigo, a workboat and a floating storage barge from its Equipment Assistance Service, as well as with satellite images and a light RPAS for spill detection and monitoring.

Find out more about EMSA’s pollution response services