REMOTE-SENSING AND GIS FOR AN OIL-SPILL CONTINGENCY PLAN, RAS-MOHAMMED, EGYPT

Ras-Mohammed area located at the southern tip of Sinai, is an importan t and unique environment which has valuable resources that should be c arefully maintained. This area is threatened by numerous anthropogenic activities. The most important risk is that associated with possible oil spills from tankers crossing the Suez canal. The main objective of this study is to prepare an oil spill contingency plan for the study area. SPOT-XS data were used to derive valuable information about the different resources of the area, especially the shallow coral reef com munities. SPOT images, ground surveys and GIS analysis have enabled an accurate evaluation of environmental sensitivity. This helped to put forward a proposal of an oil spill contingency plan, in order to prote ct environmentally sensitive areas such as Ras-Mohammed.