The system, called HEADS (Hydrocarbon Early and Automatic Detection System), has successfully completed testing at the Repsol Industrial Complex in Tarragon, Spain, and on the Casablanca platform in the Mediterranean Sea.
Using a combination of detection sensors, HEADS automatically interprets infrared images and radar, activating alarms when needed.

Radar detection is based on the difference in the roughness of the water surface when hydrocarbons are present. The infrared camera detects the variations in temperature between water and hydrocarbons, due to differences between the calorific properties of the two substances. The system has a response time of less than two minutes.

HEADS can also identify ships in the vicinity using AIS (Automatic Identification System), allowing ships to communicate their position and other relevant information, so that other ships or stations can track them and avoid collisions.