Challenges posed by pollution due to maritime accidents are borderless. In the Adriatic Sea, environmental threats triggered by disasters call for joint action across countries.
Maritime accidents: A major threat to the ecosystem
Maritime accidents are acute sources of marine pollution, threatening marine biodiversity through oil spills and chemical contamination. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the frequency of accidents in the Adriatic Sea is significantly higher than the world average. This is largely due to its narrow basin and intense maritime traffic, especially during the holiday season.
Despite ongoing efforts for improving safety, maritime casualties are still raising (EMSA, 2022). Through coordinated efforts from partners based in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, and Slovenia, the project ASAP (Adriatic Sensitive Areas Protection – mechanism) helps prevent accidental maritime pollution through harmonized procedures and the strengthening of transnational coordination for emergency response.
Vulnerability, risk and resource assessment: Data on a single map
The Adriatic Sea’s immense natural capital is evident to all: its ecosystem is a unique and sensitive environment, rich in biodiversity with numerous protected areas and more than 7,000 species, many of which are rare and endangered. Yet, oil and chemical spills expose the area to the risk of degradation, as they rank among the most severe threats to the marine ecosystems. The reasons are many: the impact of a discharge extend far beyond the immediate accident site, spreading rapidly through currents and enlarging the polluted area. Chemicals may also dissolve in water and enter the food chain, posing major risk to both our health and our biodiversity. For this reason, rapid and coordinated intervention is vital to minimize the negative impacts, but a lack of data and international cooperation usually delay a swift response.
The six countries bordering the Adriatic Sea share the same problem: heterogeneous procedures at operational level that make coordination difficult. Sharing good practices and define division of responsibilities in each country, with established procedures and designated contact points, are essential to ensure that, in the event of a pollution emergency, the right authorities can be reached without delay. In line with the Mediterranean Strategy (2022-2031), ASAP has drafted Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), that define common intervention rules in case of disasters. This builds upon the knowledge gained from a previous project called NAMIRS (North Adriatic Maritime Incident Response System, co-financed by the European Commission DG ECHO through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism) focusing on marine pollution incident management in the North Adriatic. By bringing together the countries of both the northern and southern Adriatic, ASAP has become a powerful instrument for fostering shared responsibility across the entire region.
Effective SOPs require a background of detailed country information and risk assessment analyses. According to Anna Marconato, Project Manager of the Central European Initiative Executive Secretariat (CEI-ES) and Lead Partner of ASAP, “there was no mapping of the entire Adriatic Sea in terms of vulnerability and risk combining multiple factors, such as the type of oil spill risks with the presence of protected areas and species, as well as services, productive activities, and landscape factors”. To fill this gap, ASAP involved 206 local stakeholders to assess the area. The findings confirmed that all six countries face “high” or “very high” levels of vulnerability.
The collected data was combined with information from public geospatial portals, such as Emodnet, MAPAMED and the one developed by the Adrion funded project HarmoNIA. As a result, new vulnerability, risk and resource maps were created by the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), one of the project partners. The maps include extended geomorphological and environmental data on the most vulnerable coastal areas which are key for supporting decision-making and operational planning on environmental risks. Access to accurate information from risk maps, starting from the exact location of the incident, the type of oil spilled (crude oil, fuel, diesel), together with up-to-date knowledge of weather and sea conditions, as well as the availability of the closest and most suitable response resources, can significantly enhance the protection of both marine and coastal ecosystems by a truly efficient and effective intervention.
Testing coordination responses: The ADRIA 2025 exercise in Dubrovnik
On 2 October 2025, a coordinated exercise to test SOPs was organized in Dubrovnik as part of ADRIA 2025, with all ASAP partners involved. The event featured collaboration with international organizations, such as EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency), FRONTEX (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) and EFCA (European Fisheries Control Agency). The exercise tested three main modules: SARex (Search and Rescue) POLex (Pollution response) and COMex (Communication procedures to ask for EU support).
During the Pollution Response Exercise (POLex), ASAP SOPs were used to coordinate the response to a simulated oil spill among several countries. The one where the incident occurs takes the lead, but command may shift as the pollutant moves from one country to another. The affected one must know whom to contact from other countries in order to initiate a joint response procedure and request assistance in terms of both equipment and personnel. By simulating a real pollution emergency, POLex provided a unique opportunity to validate transnational interoperability, crisis communication, and coordination between national Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) and EU agencies. In addition to testing operational readiness among countries, ADRIA 2025 also highlighted areas where ASAP SOPs could be improved. As a result, the SOPs are now being revised and will be tested in the next exercise, which will take place in Koper, Slovenia, on September 23 and 24, 2026.
An Adriatic-based Platform for rapid response
Additionally, among its core activities, ASAP has developed and is currently updating a platform designed to geolocate available anti-pollution resources across the Adriatic area. The platform provides detailed, country-specific information on the type of equipment available, its exact location within each country, and the time required to mobilize it. This tool is intended to be used in a complementary, and by no means substitutive, manner with respect to CECIS (Common Emergency Communication and Information System), the EU instrument used by national civil protection authorities to request rapid emergency assistance. By providing more detailed and operationally relevant data, the platform supports maritime authorities in submitting clearer, better-informed, and more accurately calibrated requests for assistance.
Ultimately, the project pursues a more ambitious and strategic objective: to consolidate the tools, mechanisms, and procedures developed into a Permanent Coordination Platform (PCP) composed of the Adriatic countries. This permanent collaboration framework is intended to ensure sustained and structured cooperation on marine anti-pollution prevention and response across the region, thereby fostering regular coordination and long-term collaboration among the countries involved.
Conclusions
The procedures and tools tested under ASAP, which are largely based on information exchange and creation of harmonized procedures, will benefit both EU and non-EU countries. Ms. Joksimović, advisor at Maritime Safety and Ports Management Administration of Montenegro, associated partner of ASAP, noted “The added value of this experience, which actively involves IPA countries, lies in the transnational partnership set up for the first time to protect a common ecosystem”. What affects the Adriatic Sea inevitably affects all countries along its shores, transcending national borders. “Life and pollution go on, even outside the EU” as Ms. Joksimović mentioned “We all share the same sea, and we all live in the same world, next to each other”. In a semi-enclosed and heavily trafficked basin such as the Adriatic, preparedness is not a choice but a necessity. ASAP transforms cooperation into a practical reality, ensuring that the Adriatic Sea remains a living example of how regional cooperation can protect both biodiversity and human well-being. By strengthening preparedness, trust, and coordination, ASAP contributes not only to maritime safety, but also to a shared European vision rooted in environmental stewardship, mutual support, and regional resilience.
