News

SeaClear2.0


The SeaClear2.0 project will start on January 1st 2023, and will run for four years.. The consortium consists of 13 partners from 9 countries, Delft University of Technology (Netherlands, project coordinator), Regional Agency Dunea (Croatia), Fraunhofer (Germany); Hamburg Port Authority (Germany), Isotech (Cyprus), M.Danchor (Israel), Subsea Tech (France), Técnicas y Obras Subacuáticas (TECNOSUB) (Spain), Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany), University of Dubrovnik (Croatia), Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Veolia (France), and Venice Lagoon Plastic Free (Italy).

SeaClear 2.0, like its predecessor, attempts to use robots to combat one of the world's most serious environmental issues: marine litter. Cleaning it up using divers poses danger to human lives and is economically overwhelming. This new system will be able to work in tandem with the SeaClear1.0 version.

With nearly half a billion tonnes of plastics entering European seas every year, technological solutions to identify and remove litter must be coupled with social interventions to prevent and reduce the production and release of litter by citizens. SeaClear2.0 will empower and activate citizens through engagement activities including geographical storytelling, a gamified litter-reporting app., clean-ups, exhibitions, competitions, and artistic installations. The team will also  propose better sorting and recycling solutions to increase the value of the litter collected, and will work with local communities to develop novel policy recommendations to address policy gaps.