Europe strengthens its preparedness for plastic pellet spills with the POLARIS project

Europe strengthens its preparedness for plastic pellet spills with the POLARIS project The six partners of the European POLARIS project have launched an initiative aimed at strengthening the preparedness and response capacity of European and national institutions in the face of emergencies caused by plastic pellet spills in the marine environment.

By combining scientific research, equipment testing and the development of operational capabilities, the project aims to provide public-sector stakeholders with tools and methods adapted to this emerging form of pollution.

Plastic pellet releases pose a major problem for marine and coastal environments. Several maritime incidents involving plastic pellets in recent years, such as the Trans Carrier in 2020, the X-Press Pearl in 2021, the Toconao in 2023 and the collision between the Solong and the Stena Immaculate in 2025, have highlighted the cross-border consequences of this type of incident and demonstrated the need for a coordinated response at European level.

Despite the progress made in the field of response to oil and chemical spills, there is currently no harmonised operational procedure at European level for responding to plastic pellet spills caused by maritime incidents. Current frameworks do not take into account the specific physical properties of these microplastics: low visibility at sea, high dispersal capacity, contamination of long stretches of coastline and prolonged, tedious and costly clean-up operations. National authorities and local stakeholders also point to a lack of predictive tools, risk maps and shared protocols, as well as insufficient coordination between the different levels of governance and the volunteers who could be mobilised during emergencies.

To address these issues, the POLARIS project, in which Salvamento Marítimo is also participating, will adopt a multidisciplinary approach focused on three main areas:

• Improving operational response and scientific knowledge related to accidental plastic pellet spills.
   
• Developing tools, guidelines and best practices for authorities and operators involved in the management of maritime pollution incidents.
   
• Strengthening capabilities, promoting risk communication strategies and supporting risk management, as well as communication with authorities, operators, volunteers, journalists and the general public, in order to facilitate effective incident management.

By promoting the development of shared knowledge, methods and tools, POLARIS will help strengthen the resilience of European institutions in the face of plastic pellet spills.

“POLARIS brings together experts from different disciplines and countries to address this problem through a truly collaborative approach. By combining scientific research with operational experience, our aim is to provide practical tools and evidence-based solutions that strengthen preparedness and support authorities in responding more effectively to plastic pellet spills. I am pleased to be working alongside such a strong consortium and I am confident that POLARIS will help strengthen Europe’s capacity to respond to plastic pellet spills and better protect our marine and coastal environments,” explains Ana J. Abascal, coordinator of the POLARIS project.

The project consortium is coordinated by IHCantabria, in Spain, and is made up of six partners from three European countries. By bringing together research organisations, operational agencies and specialist knowledge centres, POLARIS is set to promote the development of shared approaches and knowledge in order to improve preparedness and response to plastic pellet spills in Europe.

CEDRE, Météo-France, SASEMAR and the Norwegian Coastal Administration are also part of the project.