Sea Alarm

What Sea Alarm does

Sea Alarm is a Brussels-based non-governmental organisation that advances preparedness and response for marine wildlife emergencies, with a primary focus on oiled wildlife response. Founded as an NGO around 1999–2000 and formally established as the Sea Alarm Foundation in Belgium by Royal Decree on 17 December 2007, the organisation operates as a Public Foundation (no. 0894.810.152) under Belgian law. It is governed by a Board of Directors and runs with a small core team of four technical staff plus a General Manager, serving governments (UK MCA, NatureScot, Germany's Havariekommando, Netherlands' Rijkswaterstaat), the oil and shipping industry (notably Oil Spill Response Limited and BP), and wildlife response NGOs (RSPCA, SSPCA, ProBird) across Europe and selectively in the Middle East, West Africa, the Americas, and Africa.

Sea Alarm's core deliverables combine proprietary training tools, advisory services, and network coordination. Key products include the WildX and OneX serious games (tabletop simulation exercises for oiled wildlife response with regional variants for Shetland and Germany's coastal federal states), the Moodle-based EUROWA BASIC online training platform (a 3–4 hour self-paced course launched October 2025), a Country Profiles database covering 60+ countries, and a 24/7 incident notification and advisory service. The organisation also chairs the HELCOM Expert Working Group on Oiled Wildlife Response, holds Observer status at the IOPC Funds (renewed November 2025), and coordinates the EUROWA network of European wildlife response organisations.

Sea Alarm's business model is grant-funded and partnership-driven rather than revenue-generating. Operating income derives from EU mechanisms (Civil Protection Mechanism for the EUROWA-2 project concluded 2023; Erasmus+ for the EUROWILD project launched January 2025), industry contributions channelled through the 20+ year OSRL partnership, and intergovernmental observer arrangements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; services are delivered through direct expert advisory engagement rather than commercial sales channels. The organisation's go-to-market is sales-led through long-term relationships with governments, regional marine pollution agreements (HELCOM, REMPEC, Bonn Agreement, Barcelona Convention), and oil industry partners, with no indication of equity investment or commercial capital structure.

Name

Sea Alarm

Legal name

Sea Alarm Foundation

Website

https://sea-alarm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sea Alarm is a Brussels-based NGO that advances marine wildlife emergency preparedness, serving European governments, the oil industry, and wildlife NGOs through proprietary training tools, response planning, and coordination of the EUROWA network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Wildlife Emergency Preparedness Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

akta.pro primary industry

Pollution Control & Environmental Remediation (Booming, Skimming, Shoreline Cleanup) (TLAHAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Coastal Remediation (Shoreline/Port Spill Cleanup) (IMAIAGAI), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Oiled wildlife response
• Marine incident preparedness
• Wildlife response training
• Oil spill preparedness
• Emergency response coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. EU Operational Grants: Sea Alarm receives funding through European Commission Operational Grants to NGOs for civil protection and preparedness activities.
2. IOPC Fund Observership: Sea Alarm holds Observer status with the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, reviewed every 3 years. The IOPC Funds are an intergovernmental body providing compensation for oil pollution damage from tankers.
3. EU Civil Protection Mechanism Funding: EUROWA-2 project was co-funded by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. EUROWILD project is co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ Programme.
4. Partnership with Oil Spill Response Limited: Long-term collaboration (20+ years) with OSRL, funded by the oil industry through an agreement between Sea Alarm and OSRL. Provides training, exercises, and response coordination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sea Alarm is a non-profit foundation that provides expert advisory, training, exercises, and serious games to help governments, industry, and wildlife response organisations prepare for and respond to oil spills affecting wildlife. It coordinates the European Wildlife Response (EUROWA) network and operates a 24/7 Notification and Information Centre to provide rapid response advice during marine pollution incidents.

Product overview

Sea Alarm is a non-governmental organization focused on marine incident preparedness and response, not a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of training tools, educational resources, and professional services centered around oiled wildlife response preparedness. Key offerings include WildX and OneX serious games (interactive tabletop simulation exercises), online training platforms (Moodle-based EUROWA BASIC course), the Country Profiles Database for national preparedness assessment, 24/7 incident response advisory services, and wildlife response planning consultancy. These products and services work together to build professional capacity among governments, industry, and NGOs for coordinated wildlife response during marine pollution emergencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WildX Serious Game A serious game that simulates oiled wildlife response decision-making for response planners, responders, and trainees to practice preparedness and response choices.
• OneX Serious Game A serious game that supports wildlife response exercises, used alongside WildX to train and prepare personnel for real-world oiled wildlife incidents.
• Country Profiles Database A database that provides country-level profiles of wildlife response resources, contacts, and capacity to help responders quickly mobilise during international oil spill incidents.
• 24/7 Response Advice Service A round-the-clock advisory service that provides immediate response advice and information to responders and stakeholders during oiled wildlife incidents.
• Training and Exercises Programme A training and exercises programme that prepares oiled wildlife responders, governments, and industry partners through classroom sessions, drills, and simulations.
• Wildlife Response Planning Services Advisory services for developing and reviewing wildlife response contingency plans in collaboration with governments, industry, and NGOs.
• EUROWA BASIC Online Training Platform An online training platform that delivers the EUROWA BASIC foundational curriculum on oiled wildlife response to responders across the EUROWA Network and beyond.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91 people trained through 7 different training courses during EUROWA-2 project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• EUROWILD Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EUROWILD (European Oiled Wildlife response Life-long learning Development) is a 2-year project co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ Programme. Partners are ProBird (Germany), Submon (Spain), WWF Finland, Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostende (WRCO, Belgium), with Sea Alarm as coordinator. Project aims to expand EUROWA network work with new training courses and authority engagement.
• EUROWA NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Sea Alarm is the coordinator of the EUROWA (European Oiled Wildlife Assistance) network. Network partners include ProBird (Germany), Submon (Spain), WWF Finland, Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostende (WRCO, Belgium). The network provides international expert resources for dealing with affected animals in marine wildlife emergencies in Europe.
• IOPC FundscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Sea Alarm holds Observer status with the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, an intergovernmental body providing compensation for oil pollution damage from tankers. The status was first granted in 2017 and continued in November 2025 for another 3-year term. Sea Alarm provides technical expertise when requested for oiled wildlife preparedness and response.
• REMPECcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Memorandum of Understanding first signed in 2011 and renewed in 2018 during Interspill conference. Provides framework for Sea Alarm to cooperate with Mediterranean coastal states under the Barcelona Convention. Allows Contracting Parties to request Sea Alarm assistance in oiled wildlife emergencies and for Sea Alarm to participate in the REMPEC Mediterranean Assistance Unit.
• Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Sea Alarm and OSRL have maintained a 20+ year collaboration since 2005, driving improvements in oiled wildlife preparedness and response. The partnership is funded by the oil industry and includes joint training, exercises, 24/7 notification services, and the development of preparedness tools. OSRL's Wildlife team works closely with Sea Alarm, and staff have moved between organizations (e.g., Paul Kelway moved from Sea Alarm to OSRL as Wildlife Preparedness & Response Manager). Daniela Barreras Biesot was seconded from OSRL to Sea Alarm.
• NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in EUROWA-2 project alongside Sea Alarm, Submon, and WWF Finland. Contributed to development of Risk and Impact Assessment course for marine wildlife emergencies.
• REMPECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Emergency Centre for the Mediterranean Sea. Christophe Blazy joined Sea Alarm from a two-year posting at REMPEC, with whom Sea Alarm has a long-running partnership and MoU.
• EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Alarm attended EMSA stakeholder consultation meetings. EMSA is an EU agency working towards safer and cleaner shipping with a multi-annual programme dedicated to preparedness and response to pollution at sea.
• HELCOM Expert Group on WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Alarm chairs the HELCOM Expert Working Group on Oiled Wildlife Response (EWG-OWR), a platform for exchange between Baltic Sea region authorities. The group has been operational since around 2018.
• Havariekommando (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral German authority responsible for oil combat at sea. Collaborating with Sea Alarm and ProBird to develop Germany's first tactical plan for oiled wildlife response covering all 5 coastal federal states.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• HELCOM (Helsinki Commission): Intergovernmental body governing the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area. Sea Alarm chairs HELCOM's Expert Working Group on Oiled Wildlife Response; structurally comparable as a regional coordination platform for marine environmental protection.
• REMPEC (Regional Emergency Centre for the Mediterranean Sea): UN/MAP-administered centre in Malta providing maritime emergency response support to Mediterranean coastal states. MoU partner of Sea Alarm; complementary in geographic coverage and overlapping mandate on marine pollution preparedness.
• Clean Caribbean & Americas (CCA): Non-profit cooperative supporting oil spill preparedness and response in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Central/South America. Comparable as a regional non-profit providing training, exercises, and advisory services for marine pollution response.

Broad incumbents

• Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL): The global oil industry-funded spill response cooperative based in the UK. Most directly comparable to Sea Alarm given the 20-year strategic partnership and overlapping wildlife preparedness capability; OSRL is significantly larger with global geographic reach.
• NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R): US federal agency providing scientific support for oil and chemical spill response, including wildlife response. Comparable in scope (response advice, training, planning) but operates as a government body rather than NGO.
• EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency): EU agency responsible for maritime safety, including pollution preparedness and response. Sea Alarm participates in EMSA stakeholder consultations; EMSA is the larger regulatory/administrative counterpart with overlapping scope on maritime pollution response.

Direct peers

• Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research: US-based non-profit specializing in oiled wildlife response and rehabilitation. Direct functional peer in oiled wildlife response capability, with similar focus on responder training and contingency planning support.
• International Bird Rescue: US-based non-profit specializing in oiled wildlife response, particularly birds. Closest direct peer in operational oiled wildlife rehabilitation and response, with comparable training and incident response focus, though operating in a different geography.
• Cedre (Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution): French non-profit organization providing expertise on accidental water pollution response. Most direct European peer in oil spill response advisory services, with overlapping technical training and contingency planning offerings.
• International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF): UK-based non-profit providing expertise on oil spill response to the maritime industry. Directly comparable as a technical advisory organization focused on marine pollution preparedness, with similar stakeholder base (governments, industry, response organizations).

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sea-alarm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sea Alarm