More than 2,000 vessels detected across Cyprus’ marine protected areas

Satellite observations conducted by Periopsis recorded a total of 2,060 vessels entering the marine protected areas (MPA’s) in Cape Greco, Lady’s Mile, Latsi-Akamas in the summers of 2024 and 2025, raising concerns over potential damage to local biodiversity and marine life. “These areas protect ecologically valuable coastal habitats, including Posidonia oceanica meadows, which provide important nursery and feeding grounds for marine species, support biodiversity and contribute to coastal protection and carbon sequestration,” Periopsis said. The research laboratory warned that increased activity in the area was putting Posidonia oceanica meadows, a type of seagrass that grows very slowly, at particular risk as damage that occurred in seconds could persist for several decades. The analysis used an AI vessel-detection system based on visible satellite imagery, to detect vessels at sea, comparing detections with the automatic identification system (AIS) data, a vessel-tracking system through which vessels share information on their identity and journey. “Of the 2,060 detections, 1,114 – about 54 per cent – had no matching AIS signal in the available data, revealing a substantial visibility gap between what could be seen from space and what appeared in conventional tracking systems, emphasising the importance of remote sensing in such surveys,” Periopsis said. Although the satellite snapshots do not reconstruct entire vessel journeys, they reveal repeated vessel presence and indicate where activity clusters. “As the analytics consider once-per-day passage of a satellite, the actual detections could be many more than those 2,060,” the lab said. According to the findings of the laboratory, Latsi-Akamas was the most frequently visited area from the three MPAs, recording 1,026 detections, including 738 without an AIS match. Meanwhile, Cape Greco recorded 746 detections, 308 of which were unmatched. This was followed by Lady’s Mile, where 288 detections were recorded, 74 of which were unmatched. “Unmatched detections may reflect legitimate tourism, recreational boating or other uses, but they can also point to unreported or potentially illegal activity at sea, including fishing, transportation of goods or other activities,” Periopsis warned. According to the recordings carried out during June, July and August of 2024 and 2025, the latter two months were generally found to be significantly busier than June, with generally higher detections being recorded in 2024 than in 2025. “Across the three MPAs, detections during July and August were around 17 per cent lower in 2025 than in 2024, with the largest decrease at Lady’s Mile, while activity at Cape Greco remained broadly similar,” the lab said, adding that August showed the overall highest level of vessel activity. Periopsis’ findings revealed that around 60 per cent of sampled vessels were classified as non-moving, prompting concerns about its effects on the local biodiversity such as the Posidonia oceanica. “While this does not confirm that vessels were anchored, it identifies locations that may warrant closer attention,” Periopsis said, “anchors and chains can physically damage Posidonia meadows when repeatedly dropped or dragged across the seabed, and anchoring is recognised as a major impact of recreational boating in Mediterranean MPAs.” The combination of maps of vessel activity with maps of Posidonia oceanica allows for the detection of places suffering increased pressure from vessel activity, allowing for the monitoring of the island’s sensitive marine areas. However, satellite technology does not replace patrols or existing vessel-tracking systems, but complements them with another layer of information. “These insights can provide policymakers and environmental authorities with clear, evidence-based information of the scale and distribution of vessel activity within sensitive MPAs,” Periopsis said. The research lab reiterated the need for identifying the purpose of vessel activities in the analysed hotspots by combining regular satellite observations with on-water monitoring and seabed surveys, which it said could help assess potential impacts and protect important marine ecosystems and its species.