Protecting Cetaceans Through Technology: D-ICE Unveils Major Innovation at UNOC 2025
At the 2025 edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), held this year in Nice, D-ICE Engineering announced a major update to its TACTiCS software. The new version includes a feature specifically designed to help mariners avoid collisions with cetaceans—an often-overlooked threat to species vital to marine ecosystems.
A critical ecological challenge: safeguarding cetaceans
Cetaceans—whales, dolphins, and porpoises—play a key role in ocean health. Large whales, for example, contribute to climate regulation by supporting phytoplankton growth and carbon capture through their movements. Yet many cetacean species are threatened today, and ship strikes remain one of the leading causes of avoidable death, especially in areas of intense maritime traffic.
Most of these collisions go unnoticed and unreported, making it difficult to implement mitigation strategies. In response, scientists and environmental groups have issued strong calls to action, highlighting the urgent need for practical tools to reduce these risks.
An innovative feature built into TACTiCS
TACTiCS is a weather routing software developed by D-ICE to help mariners optimize their sea routes using over 40 forecast models, enriched with satellite and surface observations. In its latest version, a beta feature has been added to integrate cetacean presence data from OBIS-SEAMAP (Ocean Biodiversity Information System).
This functionality enables users to identify high-density cetacean zones and adapt their routes and speeds accordingly, reducing the chance of collision.
CARE: navigating with wildlife in mind
The new module, CARE (CetAcean tRacking fEature), represents a first step toward more responsible navigation. Beyond basic mapping, it sets the foundation for advanced features such as predictive modeling based on seasons and species, real-time navigation alerts, and the automatic inclusion of speed reduction in routing algorithms.
The goal is to reduce harmful interactions between maritime activities and marine wildlife by providing crews with accurate, actionable data.
Toward a global decision-support platform for the ocean
With CARE as a starting point, D-ICE aims to expand TACTiCS into a broader collaborative platform. Future features include monitoring for sea ice, drifting objects, and extreme weather events like hurricanes. The vision is to bridge the gap between scientific research and operational use at sea.
By embedding cutting-edge environmental data into navigational tools, TACTiCS supports both safer voyages and a healthier ocean.
A technological commitment to ocean sustainability
Founded in Nantes in 2015, D-ICE Engineering is a deeptech company dedicated to solving three major maritime challenges: reducing carbon emissions, improving safety at sea, and supporting offshore energy transition. Its team of engineers and researchers specializes in hydrodynamics, modeling, AI, and robotics.
With this latest update to TACTiCS, D-ICE reinforces its commitment to smarter, safer, and more environmentally aware maritime operations.
