Project Guardian

Maritime environmental intelligence

Disarming the ecological time bombs of the Second World War

Project Guardian identifies, assesses and prioritises potentially polluting WWII shipwrecks worldwide, and shares what it finds with coastal nations at no cost.

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Survey dive on a WWII wreck, Rabaul area, October 2026

8,500+

WWII wrecks worldwide

914

wrecks assessed and ranked, as of October 2026

80+

years of corrosion on hulls still carrying fuel and cargo

A torn section of ship's hull plating, the seabed visible through the gap
Breached hull of a WWII wreck, Simpson Harbour area, October 2026

Why it matters

More than environmental risk

Thousands of ships sunk in the Second World War still hold fuel oil, munitions and cargo. As their hulls weaken, a release can reach reefs, fisheries and the coastal communities that depend on them.

Many are also war graves. Guardian works to protect the sea around them while respecting the people lost with them.

See how Guardian works

How Guardian works

From thousands of unknowns to a ranked, monitored inventory

  1. Gather

    Historical records, wreck inventories and open-source data on every known loss.

  2. Assess and grade

    A structured method weighs each wreck's condition, its cargo and the sensitivity of the coast around it.

  3. Prioritise

    Wrecks are ranked so survey effort goes where the risk is highest and the evidence thinnest.

  4. Monitor and alert

    Satellite slick detection and in-water survey feed alerts to the nations concerned.

Guardian situation view for Papua New Guinea waters: a readout of wrecks in and around the waters, recent events and slicks awaiting review, above a map of the Pacific with assessed wrecks grouped by area and coloured by risk band
Guardian platform, situation view for Papua New Guinea waters, October 2026. Demonstration data.

Our first deployment

Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

In October 2026 the team surveyed Simpson Harbour, where more than 50 wartime wrecks lie inside an active volcanic caldera. It was our first field deployment.

Read the field report
A diver inspects the hull plating of a shipwreck at close range
Diver inspecting hull plating, Rabaul area, October 2026

Operational capability

Watching the water, not just the records

Satellite radar is screened for oil slicks near every assessed wreck. When one appears, a Sentry alert goes to the nation concerned.

In-water survey then replaces inferred condition with what is on the seabed.

How alerts work

Partners

  • Marinas Guardian
  • EFI

Help us assess the next harbour

  • Coastal nations

    Access to the platform and the assessment for your waters, at no cost.

    Request access

  • Partners and sponsors

    Help fund survey, monitoring and the next deployment.

    Support the mission

  • Divers and dive centres

    Join the Guardian Dive Network and report what you see.

    Join the network