ARGOS satellite tracking map showing the journey of a marine plastic tracking device, illustrating how plastic waste can travel more than 1,000 kilometres across Caribbean waters. Photo: Nia Jeffers/HLSCC

HLSCC CAMS Coastal Resilience Coordinator Nia Jeffers with members of the Elmore Stoutt High School Robotics Club and the Captain of the Peter Island Ferry during the deployment of a marine plastic tracking device as part of CAMS’ Ocean Technology Pilot Programme. Photo: Nia Jeffers/HLSCC

Students of the Claudia Creque Educational Centre hold a GPSenabled “smart bottle” used in HLSCC CAMS’ marine plastic tracking study to explore ocean currents and plastic pollution. Photo: Nia Jeffers/HLSCC

This initiative is believed to be the first of its kind in the Caribbean and forms part of CAMS’ Ocean Technology Pilot Project, launched in 2025 with funding support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the UK Future Fund. As part of the observance of World Oceans Day on 8 June 2026, the Centre for Applied Marine Studies (CAMS) shared the results of the study. 

Initiative introduces marine science & digital innovation into classrooms

According to a press release, the initiative is designed to integrate marine science and digital innovation into the Virgin Islands’ classrooms, engaging students in hands-on learning at the intersection of science, technology, and environmental stewardship. This year’s observance went beyond awareness, offering students and the wider community real data, real stories, and a deeply local connection to a global environmental challenge for HLSCC CAMS.

In collaboration with the Claudia Creque Educational Centre, Jost van Dyke Primary School, and the Elmore Stoutt High School Robotics Club, students actively participated in deploying specially designed tracking devices—known as “smart bottles”—into local waters during World Oceans Day 2025.

The release stated that students were equipped with GPS and satellite technology and therefore these devices mimic the behaviour of singleuse plastic bottles, drifting with currents, wind, and waves to reveal how marine plastic travels across the ocean.

Director of CAMS Susan Zaluski said, “This project brings science to life. These devices collect real data and tell a story how far our plastic waste can travel, its impact on marine ecosystems, and why our actions at home matter globally.”

Study results

The results revealed powerful and unexpected journeys. One device, deployed in the Sir Francis Drake Channel by the ESHS Robotics Club, travelled more than 1,000 kilometres, passing the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola before reaching Crooked Island in the Bahamas while another device, deployed near Jost van Dyke, followed a similar path before being drawn into circular currents near the Turks and Caicos Islands during Hurricane Erin in August 2025. It later appeared inland in eastern Cuba, suggesting human interaction before its signal was lost. The third device, deployed from Anegada, transmitted data for just ten days—providing insight into how plastic can become trapped in floating sargassum belts.

Founder of the Arribada Initiative, Alasdair Davies, noted that “Each bottle tells a different story; together, they help us understand how plastic moves across oceans and how interconnected our marine environments truly are.”

Originally developed to track sea turtles, the devices were adapted to monitor marine plastic, demonstrating how innovative conservation technologies can be repurposed for broader environmental challenges. Beyond its scientific findings, the initiative represents a significant investment in the Territory’s future. By engaging students, particularly through the ESHS Robotics Club, CAMS has introduced a powerful blend of marine science, data analysis, and applied technology.

Project involved the use of STEM 

Coastal Resilience Programme Coordinator at CAMS Nia Jeffers, said, “This initiative expanded to be more than just a marine science project. It developed into engaging our students in STEM, citizen science, and global environmental responsibility. These are the future engineers, conservationists, and innovators of the Virgin Islands.”

The programme also extended into civic engagement through a “Message in a Bottle” campaign, where students wrote letters to government and community stakeholders expressing concerns about marine pollution and environmental protection. In a meaningful exchange, responses from these stakeholders were returned to students this year, acknowledging their voices and reinforcing the importance of youth participation in national dialogue.

The release further stated that the Ocean Technology Pilot Project signals a new era for the Virgin Islands—one where science is accessible, education is experiential, and the next generation is equipped to protect the ocean that surrounds and sustains them.