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Resumo

An oil spill occurrence is a concerning pervasive situation that can result in significant risk, depending on where it starts, the oil properties, and the environmental conditions. In the region of Cyprus, there is an intense traffic of shipping activities which intensifies the risk of an oil spill due to vessel density and prolongated permanence time. The purpose of this work is to perform an assessment based on mathematical simulations to identify the critical places in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, aiming at increasing the readiness for minimising the impact of an oil spill in sensible areas of Cyprus, with attention to the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere. This work simulated 384 scenarios using Mohid and Opendrift platforms. It was observed that even though different platforms have been used, there were equivalences in the results. Based on these equivalences, a new and more specific mathematical method was proposed to assess the potential relative impact of an oil spill in Cyprus, concluding that even with much more intense oil transport in other areas of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the most significant relative risks are in fact, in the areas surrounding Cyprus. In particular, the region in the north, south, and west of Cyprus. It must be emphasised that the south of Cyprus is an important region for the economy of the country.