Swiss research ship sails on seas of plastic

In 2015, a sailing boat flying the Swiss flag set out on a four-year voyage around the world to observe and report on the state of the oceans. The ‘Ocean Mapping Expedition’ found seas full of plastic and stinking waste. Swiss public television, SRF, caught up with the crew at their news conference in Singapore. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)

The 16-person crew of the Fleur de Passion, a restored German navy vessel, is a multi-disciplinary team of researchers working for the Geneva-based non-profit organisation, Fondation Pacifique. They are carrying out various experiments: using microphones to gauge noise pollution under the sea and carrying out tests to find out what kids of gases can be found in order to better understand the origins of greenhouse gases.

The group has already identified several strong methane and carbon dioxide emission areas between Mactan in the Philippines and Singapore, where the expedition arrived on March 13, 2018. A project to monitor greenhouse gases was launched in Mactan at the end of 2017, in partnership with the University of Geneva.