On April 2006 RDC ScanEx completed the order of oil spills real-time detection in the Caspian Sea. ScanEx specialists analyzed the existing archive of the RADARSAT-1 images and requested an urgent radar imagery of the assumed oil spill location.
RADARSAT-1 image from April 3, 2006 revealed a big oil spill within the specified area indeed. The later image dated April 24 clearly illustrates a new oil slick of around 46 km2. Joint processing of two images with due account for meteorological conditions enabled to define approximate coordinates of the leak source.

Two combined radar images are shown on the picture: oil spill, detected on the April 3 image, is outlined in yellow; oil spill, detected on April 24 image, is outlined in blue; red circle in the center indicates the oil leak source; bright spots – oil offshore platforms and ships.

According to specialists, the source of oil leak was created as a result of mud volcanic activity.
The most dangerous impacts of mud volcano are on the platforms with abandoned wells due to sea oil pollution hazard. For example in May, according to the mass media, a 2.5 km long oil slick was detected in the Northern Caspian Sea near the mothballed oil well #1, located on the Pribrezhnoye oil field in Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan.

RDC ScanEx specialist quickly executed the order, located the source and assessed the polluted area thanks to real-time RADARSAT-1 imagery and good detecting properties of radar.