An all-women sailing expedition sets sail on April 27, 2026 on a mission to deliver the first global study mapping ocean plastic pollution back to its sources on land. Departing from Auckland,
An all-women sailing expedition sets sail on April 27, 2026 on a mission to deliver the first global study mapping ocean plastic pollution back to its sources on land. Departing from Auckland, this first part of the voyage will sail across the South Pacific from New Zealand to Tonga.
Led by the British environmental organization eXXpedition and ocean advocate Emily Penn, the mission will fill critical gaps in our understanding of where ocean plastic comes from – and help pinpoint the most impactful solutions.
The global expedition consists of 10 legs and 10 teams. With the first three legs fully crewed, today’s launch also opens applications for the remaining voyages – visiting the Arctic, Antarctica, Caribbean and North Pacific throughout 2026 and 2027. The last time eXXpedition set sail, over 10,000 women applied for just 300 crew places.
Why this matters now
The expedition comes at a critical moment for global ocean health and environmental policy. Despite widespread awareness, plastic pollution continues to accelerate:
- An estimated 171 trillion plastic particles are now floating in the world’s ocean – up from around 5 trillion in 2014.
- Talks for a UN Global Plastics Treaty stalled in August 2025, leaving no binding global limits on plastic
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