EU Risk Analysis of marine oil pollution by ships and by oil and gas installations

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has issued a call for tenders, identified as EMSA/2026/OP/0004, to conduct a "EU Risk Analysis of marine oil pollution caused by ships and oil and gas installations." This opportunity is structured as a public procurement service contract rather than a grant. The project aims to develop a harmonized methodology to quantify and map marine oil pollution risks throughout all EU sea basins, addressing both the current risk scenario and a predictive scenario over a five-year horizon.

The estimated total value of the contract is €600,000, with a maximum duration of 14 months. The procedure is open for competitive tender, allowing companies and service providers established in EU member states or associated countries to apply. While there are no specific restrictions on the size of the bidding entities, it is noted that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can also participate. Clarifications regarding the eligibility of UK-registered companies indicate they can join as members of a consortium.

Submissions must be made electronically via the Funding and Tenders Portal, with the deadline set for March 18, 2026, at 16:00 Brussels time. A question and answer section is available for clarifications until March 10, 2026. The award will evaluate submissions based on a quality-to-price ratio, with quality accounting for 70% of the scoring and price for 30%. There are no co-funding requirements for this contract.

The call emphasizes that the contract will deliver financial support for services rendered, marking a distinction from traditional grants which typically fund research or organizational development. The award is expected to address maritime safety and environmental protection specifically related to marine pollution risk management. The CPV code associated with this procurement is 73210000, indicating its classification under research and development services in the environmental domain.

Key deadlines include a public opening on March 20, 2026, at 10:00 Europe/Lisbon time, and it is noted that the contracting authority is not obligated to respond to questions generated after March 11, 2026. Interested parties are encouraged to review the tender documents and ensure timely submission of their proposals.

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has published a call for tenders, EMSA/2026/OP/0004, for a "EU Risk Analysis of EU marine oil pollution by ships and by oil and gas installations." This is an open procurement procedure with the aim of concluding a service contract with a company.

The overall objective of the project is to produce a comparable Risk Analysis, developed through a harmonised methodology, to quantify and map marine oil pollution risks across all EU sea basins. The risk analysis will address two timeframes: a current risk scenario and a predictive risk scenario with a 5-year horizon.

The procedure type is an open procedure. The estimated total value of the contract is 600,000 EUR. The TED publication date was 21/01/2026. The lead contracting authority is the European Maritime Safety Agency. The main classification (CPV) code is 73210000, which refers to research consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 14 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. No framework agreement is specified.

Key milestones include the TED publication date of 21/01/2026, the date and time of the public opening on 20/03/2026 at 10:00 Europe/Lisbon, and the deadline for receipt of tenders on 18/03/2026 at 16:00 Europe/Lisbon. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 11/03/2026 at 06:59 Europe/Lisbon.

The following documents are available for download:

1.  ENTender Specifications Technical specifications, published on 21/01/2026, Version 1, no translations available.
2.  ENInvitation to tender Invitation to tender (request for offer), published on 21/01/2026, Version 1, no translations available.
3.  ENService Contract Draft contract, published on 21/01/2026, Version 1, no translations available.
4.  ENTenderer Checklist Other invitation to tender document, published on 21/01/2026, Version 1, no translations available.
5.  ENEMSA study report template Other invitation to tender document, published on 21/01/2026, Version 1, no translations available.

Submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic submission.

A question and answer (Q&A) section is available.

According to a Q&A published on 26/01/2026 at 16:48, UK-registered companies with the appropriate expertise can participate as members of a consortium of tenderers. This is based on point 22 of the Invitation to Tender, which states that in addition to economic operators established in the Member States of the Union, only economic operators from certain countries are eligible.

In summary, this call for tenders by EMSA seeks a company to conduct a comprehensive EU-wide risk analysis of marine oil pollution from ships and oil and gas installations. The project aims to develop a harmonized methodology for quantifying and mapping these risks, considering both the current situation and a 5-year future scenario. The contract is valued at 600,000 EUR and will run for a maximum of 14 months. The award will be based on the best price-quality ratio. Interested parties must submit their tenders electronically by 18/03/2026. UK-registered companies can participate as part of a consortium.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to economic operators. According to a Q&A, economic operators established in the Member States of the Union and economic operators from other countries (unspecified in this content) are eligible. The Q&A also addresses the eligibility of UK-registered companies as members of a consortium, suggesting that consortiums are permissible.

Funding Type: The funding type is a service contract. This is an open procurement procedure.

Consortium Requirement: The Q&A regarding UK-registered companies participating as members of a consortium suggests that a consortium is an acceptable structure for this opportunity.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes economic operators established in the Member States of the Union. The Q&A response indicates that economic operators from other countries are also eligible, but the specific countries are not listed in the provided text.

Target Sector: The target sector is related to maritime safety, specifically focusing on risk analysis of marine oil pollution. The relevant sectors include environment, transport, and potentially energy due to the inclusion of oil and gas installations. The CPV code 73210000 indicates research consultancy services.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions the UK in a question about eligibility. It also refers to Member States of the Union, implying all EU member states are relevant.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on conducting a risk analysis, which suggests a development or validation stage, leading to a predictive risk scenario.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 600,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services rendered under the service contract.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but as an open call for tenders, it likely involves at least one stage of submission and evaluation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for tenders issued by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for a service contract to conduct a "EU Risk Analysis of EU marine oil pollution by ships and by oil and gas installations." The primary goal is to develop a harmonized methodology to quantify and map marine oil pollution risks across all EU sea basins, considering both current and predictive (5-year horizon) scenarios. The estimated total value of the contract is 600,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 14 months. The procedure is an open call, requiring electronic submissions. Eligible applicants include economic operators established in the Member States of the Union, and potentially economic operators from other countries. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. The deadline for receipt of tenders is March 18, 2026, at 16:00 Europe/Lisbon time. The TED reference is 14/2026 44322-2026, and the procedure identifier is EMSA/2026/OP/0004. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after March 11, 2026, at 06:59 Europe/Lisbon time. UK-registered companies can participate as members of a consortium of tenderers.