NAMEPA Partners with Eyesea to promote global sustainability efforts Shipowners part of the pollution solution

Graeme Somerville-Ryan, Founder of Eyesea

Dec. 16, 2020 – Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Eyesea as part of NAMEPA’s continued efforts to educate on protecting the marine environment and promote the maritime industry’s best practices.

Eyesea’s approach to combating the plastic problem plaguing the world’s oceans is through mapping pollution in real-time, an opportunity that allows the maritime community and the public to engage and take an active part in global sustainability efforts.

“This tool opens new doors on how to track, analyze and respond to pollution,” said Eyesea Founder Graeme Somerville-Ryan.  “With Eyesea, marine pollution no longer seems like such an insurmountable problem. Instead, there is now a way to have a real and quantitative way to tackle marine pollution and keep the oceans clean. Working with NAMEPA answers one of the key questions for Eyesea: What do we do with the data? NAMEPA has the reach, organizational capabilities, and clean-up experience to take data-based action.”

By collecting geotagged information submitted by seafarers, shipowners, managers, and maritime professionals, Eyesea can create detailed maps of oceanic pollution, helping governments, clean-up groups and other organizations know where clean-up efforts can make the most impact.  Access to real-time, large-scale data would allow shipowners and local communities to act proactively, have a leading role in combating plastic pollution, and make real strides towards protecting the marine environment. Organizations, companies, shipowners and communities can engage with each other, further their environmental stewardship, and increase their leadership.

Shipowners and local communities can use this tool to align and expand on NAMEPA’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance (CSR/ESG) program and other maritime industry best practices. NAMEPA’s  CSR/ESG program offers a means for organizations, companies and shipowners to incorporate strategies and principles including Corporate Citizenship, Environmental Stewardship and Leadership and Governance into practice. With Eyesea, organizations and companies can support these principles to create a more sustainable industry.

“It is so satisfying to see different arms of the maritime community coming together to secure a more sustainable future for the marine environment,” said Capt. Steve Bomgardner, who is on the advisory board for both organizations. “I am ecstatic that collaboration is taking place between Eyesea and NAMEPA, both amazing organizations of which I am proud to be a representative. Our oceans are the lifeblood of the world and we all must play our part in preserving them for generations to come. It is only through the collaboration of the entire maritime community that we will be able to make real progress, so I am delighted that we are starting to come together to take ownership of the issues, control the narrative and create a united front.”

“NAMEPA is proud to be partnering with Eyesea in its efforts to track plastic in the oceans and hope more of the maritime community will join in!” Walker said. “As is said, ‘If you can’t measure, you can’t manage.’ This is a great step forward to ‘Save Our Seas.’”

Eyesea is a nonprofit organization with a mission to map global pollution and maritime hazards. Without proper data on maritime pollution – what and where it is – effective solutions are hard to find. In 2020 we developed the concept of using geotagged pictures to chart (‘map’ for you landlubbers) maritime pollution. Funding and support have been obtained, and our mapping solution is currently under development. Visit them at: www.eyesea.org

The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) is a marine industry-led organization of environmental stewards preserving the marine environment by promoting sustainable marine industry best practices and educating seafarers, students and the public about the need and strategies for protecting global ocean, lake and river resources. Visit us at: www.namepa.net

Media inquiries: Andrea Durán +203 260 0480 a.duran@namepa.net