Methodological and technical challenges

The main methodological challenges concerned the development of standardized sampling procedures and unambiguous protocols that could be applied to the different types of Navy vessels. Another challenge was the development of laboratory analysis methods suitable for detecting very low concentrations of pollutants. Finally, the analytical challenges were expanded with the development of innovative methodologies for the detection of unexpected and non-routinely monitored substances (untargeted analysis) with the aid of advanced instrumentation such as liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometers and the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), which allows the presence of compounds to be determined in a matter of seconds