Status: Completed
Topics: Research
Start date: 01/03/2024
End date: 01/03/2027
Parent project: CSR
Project website:
Funding institutions:
Target species: Cetaceans
Tethys role: Sub-contractor
Project leader: Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambiente Ligure - ARPAL
Project manager for Tethys: Sabina Airoldi
Project partners: Italian Coast Guard, CIMA Foundation, Consorzio LAMMA – Oceanographic Division, CNR – National Research Council, Istituto per lo studio degli Impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino Sede di Oristano (IAS -CNR); Istituto di Scienze del Mare Sede di Lerici (ISMAR- CNR), Université de Toulon - MIO (Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography) & LIS (Lab. Informatique Systems)
Project subcontractors: Tethys Research Institute
Project staff: Caterina Lanfredi, Marina Costa, Veronica Zampieri, Adriana Geraci
Project other staff:
Milestone project:
SEAsteMAR addresses navigation risks arising from the presence of large cetaceans and other vulnerabe species, as well as from unpredictable weather and sea conditions, including those associated with climate change.
The Pelagos Sanctuary includes areas that are particularly exposed to these risks and are characterized by intense maritime traffic due to the presence of major commercial, military, and tourist ports.
The SEAsteMAR project aims to develop operational and shared solutions that enable both stakeholders and sea users in general to deal with navigation risks in a more informed and responsive manner. The project will lead to the development of real-time warning systems and data sharing protocols, whose development and implementation will be monitored by a cross-border working group involving institutional partners such as Port Authorities, Préfecture Maritime, Pelagos Agreement, ACCOBAMS.
The Tethys Research Institute contributes to the SEAsteMAR project by collecting data on oceanographic features and marine mammal presence in the Pelagos Sanctuary on behalf of the Italian Coast Guard. These observations are obtained using a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System RPAS) — a fixed-wing drone provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and operated by the REACT consortium.
In addition, the institute collects in situ measurements of temperature from the vessel by means of a CTD probe and participates (in 2026) in the fine-tuning and testing of real-time warning systems developed by the Italian Coast Guard.