Ocean Visuals and the EIC Accelerator: Lasers That Spot Oil Spills

Ocean Visuals, founded in Oslo in 2012, makes OWL sensors that use hyperspectral laser-induced fluorescence LiDAR: a laser excites molecules in the water and a detector reads the light they give back, allowing the system to detect oil on and below the surface and identify its type in real time. Its EIC Accelerator project, OWL, receives an EU contribution of €2,212,272 towards a total cost of €3,160,389 and runs from July 2024 to February 2027, according to CORDIS. In 2021 Petrobras's research centre contracted Ocean Visuals, through its agent Belga Marine, to evaluate the technology, according to Ocean Visuals.

The project report says Ocean Visuals worked on three classes of sensor, Sea OWL for ships, Air OWL for aircraft and Elf for drones, unified their laser, detector and controller hardware into modules for higher production volumes, and developed OWL MAP software that feeds data to mapping tools such as ArcGIS and QGIS, according to CORDIS. The company's 2025 accounts show revenue of NOK 10.5 million, an operating profit of NOK 688,976 and negative equity of NOK 10.1 million, according to the Brønnøysund Register Centre.

Where Ocean Visuals Stands Now

In 2026 Ocean Visuals was named top presenter at Tech Tour's Drones Innovation event, joined the AquaSphere accelerator, pitched at the EIC's Disaster Resilience Days and was featured by the EIC for World Ocean Day, according to its newsroom. It exhibited at the ONS 2026 and ROG.e 2026 energy conferences. It has not announced new commercial contracts since the EIC award.

The Technology: Fingerprinting Oil With Light

A fluorescence LiDAR looks at how a substance glows when hit by a laser, which differs by molecule, so Ocean Visuals says it can confirm and classify oil and other effluents on the surface and in the water column, and help trace a spill to its origin. Ocean Visuals' systems run unattended and use AI to analyse the hyperspectral data, the project report says.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The project runs until February 2027, so it is too early to judge it. It has produced modular hardware for three sensor classes and new software. Deployments on aircraft or drones for paying customers, the market the EIC project was meant to open, have not been announced.

1. Modular sensor hardwareDeliveredProject report.
2. OWL MAP softwareDeliveredMulti-platform.
3. Airborne and drone customersUnverifiedNone named.
4. Financial strengthProfitable, negative equity2025 accounts.

The Money

Ocean Visuals earned a small profit in 2025, but its accumulated losses leave equity at minus NOK 10.1 million. The award was blended finance; no EIC Fund investment has been announced. Only the 2025 accounts are available in the open register data used here.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Petrobras's researchers said the technology could reduce the need for laboratory analysis of suspected oil. A sensor that identifies oil remotely from a ship, plane or drone would speed up response to spills. Ocean Visuals has the technology; the buyers are yet to be shown.

The Verdict

Ocean Visuals and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.