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Operator sorting waste in front of the Kota Kinabalu waterfront

Image bank

Our actions in pictures

From waste collection to recycling and raising awareness, explore our photos chronicling our field operations, from Kota Kinabalu to Geneva.

A gallery accessible to all! Please credit "The SeaCleaners" for any use.

At-sea collection

75 photos

Our Mobulas collect floating waste every day before it drifts out to sea.

An operator sorts the day's collection on board
Mobula 8.2 operator among recovered waste
Sorting on board off Kota Kinabalu
The collection bin fills up, facing Gaya Island
Waste and seaweed brought up by the conveyor belt
Plastic packaging pulled from the water
The crew at work in the middle of the bay
Operator sorting waste in front of the Kota Kinabalu waterfront
Each piece of waste is separated with tongs

Plastic pollution

62 photos

What our teams observe on the ground, and why we act.

Floating waste in Ambon Bay
Plastic trapped under mangrove roots
Line of waste at the base of the Passo mangrove
Mardika Market, where waste originates
Galala shoreline, beneath the bay bridge
Plastic-covered beach, Ambon Bay
Poka shoreline, near the ferry dock
Ambon beach after the rainy season
Blanket of washed-up waste in the mist
Plastic waste held back by a floating boom, Ambon
Riverbed covered in plastic bottles, Ambon
Dried-up river overgrown with plastic waste, Ambon
Open-air dump in Bali
Accumulated waste on a coastal dump in Bali
Plastic scattered throughout a coconut grove in Bali
A coastal dump in Bali where cows graze
Plastic waste beneath stilt houses, Kota Kinabalu
Stilt village surrounded by plastic waste, Kota Kinabalu
Plastic bottles entangled with vegetation, Kota Kinabalu
Plastic hidden beneath the vegetation, Kota Kinabalu
Accumulation of plastic bottles on the water, Kota Kinabalu
Plastic waste beneath dwellings, Kota Kinabalu

Crew

12 photos

The Mobula 8.2 operators, at the heart of every collection day.

The Mobula 8.2 crew on a mission
Operator at the helm of Mobula 8.2
Sorting on board off Kota Kinabalu
The local crew at work, facing Gaya Island
A day at sea with the crew
The Mobula 8.2 crew on a mission
Operator at the helm of Mobula 8.2
Sorting on board off Kota Kinabalu
The local crew at work, facing Gaya Island

Sorting and weighing

13 photos

Every kilogram collected is sorted, weighed, and recorded with complete transparency.

Weighing a bag of waste on board
Separating seaweed from plastic by hand
Meticulous sorting on the Mobula table
Every piece of waste is weighed and recorded
Weighing a collection bag on board
Every piece of waste is weighed and recorded
Weighing a bucket collected at sea
Entering collection data
Weighing recovered items
Weighing a bag of collected waste, Kota Kinabalu

Recycling

12 photos

A second life for plastic, alongside our local partners.

Bricks made from recycled plastic
Sorting bottles at Gili Eco Trust
Shredded plastic, ready to be processed
Visit to a recycling facility in Ambon
Meeting at the Ambon waste bank
Eco-brick molds, Gaya Island
Plastic shredder from a local partner
The eco-brick pathway, Gaya Island
Sorting center of a partner village

Wildlife

2 photos

The primary victims of plastic in the sea.

Diver freeing an animal caught in a net
Fish trapped in an abandoned net

Mobulas

10 photos

Our collection catamarans, from their construction in Brittany to their operational missions.

Mobula 8 off the Port of Benoa
Mobula 10 during its sea trials
Construction of the Mobulas at EFINOR Sea Cleaner
The waste conveyor belt of Mobula 10
Mobula 8.2 on Lake Geneva, facing Geneva
Launch of Mobula 8.2 in Geneva
Aerial view of the Mobula
Two Mobulas undergoing sea trials
Mobula 8.2 underway
Mobula 8.2 and Mobula 10 side by side in Paimpol
Mobula 8.2 on a mission in Kota Kinabalu Bay
The Mobula 8.2 crew off Kota Kinabalu
Mobula 8.2 heading to a collection area, Kota Kinabalu

Clean-up

55 photos

Volunteers and partners, along beaches, rivers, and lakes.

A bucket of cigarette butts collected in a single morning, in Paris
Volunteer during World Cleanup Day in Paris
Clean-up on Biscarrosse beach
Gloved hands and filled bags
Clean-up along Lake Geneva with NonStop Gym
Divers and volunteers at Lake Lugano
What lay hidden at the bottom of Lake Lugano
World Water Day in Bali, bags filled by hand
World Water Day teams in Bali
Waste sorted by category following a clean-up in Brazil
Sorting preparation prior to a clean-up in Brazil

Raise awareness

93 photos

From classrooms in Kota Kinabalu and Ambon to Swiss schools, as well as Rio and Virginia.

Workshop with students from SM St Michael
Microplastics workshop with students from St Joseph
Students learn how to sort plastics
Presentation at a school in Kota Kinabalu
Students in Ambon during a workshop
Outdoor awareness session in Ambon
With the youth of Gol de Letra in Rio
Game about plastic pollution in Rio
5th grade class in Newport News, Virginia
Awareness session in a school in Ambon
Interactive plastic workshop with students in Ambon
Educational game on waste sorting at a school in Ambon
Mobula 10 expedition with our local partner LPMK, Ambon
Classroom presentation at a primary school in Ambon
Students and teachers after an awareness session, Ambon
Card game on plastic pollution with young people in Brazil
Educational workshop on the plastic cycle in Brazil
Participants gathered after a clean-up in Brazil
Screening and call for donations at a film festival in Lausanne
Students in front of our exhibition on plastic pollution, by the lake
Tin can alley game on plastic degradation times
Interactive quiz on plastic with Florimont students
Classroom presentation in a Swiss school
"Plastic detectives" workshop in a school in Kota Kinabalu
Game on plastic degradation times with schools in Geneva

Landscapes

7 photos

The waters and coastlines that our work seeks to protect.

Turquoise waters of the Gili Islands
Coconut grove near Gili Trawangan
Pristine beach in the Gili Islands
Crystal-clear lagoon, Indonesia
What we are striving to preserve
Turquoise waters of the Gili Islands
Coconut grove near Gili Trawangan
Ambon mangroves, an ecosystem to protect
Young mangroves in the Ambon wetlands

Institutions and partnerships

4 photos

Authorities, partners, and patrons uniting behind our expeditions.

Meeting with the Governor of Maluku and our partner LPMK
Institutions and partnerships Ambon
Inauguration of the Mobula in Malaysia
Institutions and partnerships Malaysia
Partners and authorities gathered for the inauguration
Institutions and partnerships Malaysia
Presenting the Mobula to guests
Institutions and partnerships Malaysia
Inauguration of the Mobula 8.2 in Malaysia, 10.02.2025
Institutions and partnerships Malaysia
Meeting with the Sabah State Government, Kota Kinabalu
Institutions and partnerships Kota Kinabalu
Inauguration of the Mobula 8.2 with Malaysian authorities and our partners
Institutions and partnerships Malaysia
Official visit on board the Mobula 8.2 in Malaysia
Institutions and partnerships Malaysia

Journalists and partners

Need a high-definition photo?

All our photos are available in high definition upon request. Clicking on an image will open it in full size.

Behind every photo: kilograms of waste cleared from the water

These images are made possible thanks to our donors, patrons, and volunteers. Help us shape the next chapters.