An innovative solution for fighting ocean pollution in the Bay of Biscay

Mapping floating waste in estuaries and along coasts, predicting its movement and tracking its source by identifying how the waste reached the marine environment – these are the goals of the "Floating Marine Litter Tracking" (FML-TRACK) solution. Operating along the north-eastern Spanish and south-western French coasts since June 2020, it will provide vital support in the fight against ocean pollution.

Action is taking place along the south-eastern coasts of the Bay of Biscay to deploy an innovative ocean protection service, FML-Track. Developed by SUEZ in partnership with the AZTI Foundation and Telespazio France, and drawing on data from the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service, the solution can detect and track marine waste and identify its origin and destination, providing local authorities, scientists and associations with vital information to help them in their fight.

The demonstration phase began in June 2020 with support from the project's committed partners, the Communauté d'Agglomération du Pays Basque, the city of Biarritz and Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa (Spain), and involves implementing the solution on a large scale.

A combination of several technologies brought together in a single decision support portal

The FML-TRACK service collects field observations submitted by marine and beach cleanliness professionals, detects and quantifies the presence of waste in rivers using video and in the sea using satellite detection and then analyses and predicts the dispersion of waste in estuaries and the sea using oceanographic measurements and modelling.

All these technologies are encapsulated in a digital decision support portal to help marine management bodies, scientists and associations in their activities.