VIDEO: Sailing ship turns ocean plastic pollution into energy

Written by Nick Blenkey
Ship deals with ocean plastic pollution

The Manta will turn ocean plastic pollution into energy. [Credit: Synthes3D forThe Seacleaners]

Classification society Bureau Veritas has awarded its Approval in Principle (AiP) to an innovative sailing vessel designed to not only collect floating ocean plastic pollution waste but to process it.

Called the Manta, the 56 meter long, 26 meter wide and 62 meter high sailing ship, will be equipped with an on-board factory including a waste-to-energy conversion unit.

Due to set sail at the end of 2025, the design was developed by Manta Innovation, the engineering design office of the SeaCleaners NGO, with the support of naval architects at France’s Ship-ST and Sembcorp Marine’s Bergen, Norway, based subsidiary, LMG Marin AS

The Manta will be powered by a combination of renewable energy technologies to minimize its carbon footprint and achieve 50 to 75% energy autonomy. It will also serve as a scientific laboratory for the observation, analysis and understanding of ocean plastic pollution and as an educational platform open to the public.

Bureau Veritas reviewed the overall structure, stability and security plans of the Manta, based on risk mitigation in relation to new technologies and requirements.

The SeaCleaners was founded by its president, Yvan Bourgnon, a veteran yacht skipper who is the holder of several world sailing records.

“Marine plastic pollution is a global ecological disaster which requires urgent action now both on land and at sea,” he says. “We are grateful that the Manta was awarded the AiP from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore. This represents a major milestone for us and shows the solidity of our approach to tackle plastic pollution as we are about to enter a new development phase of the Manta with the upcoming launch of the call for tenders to shipyards. More than 45,000 hours of study & development, involving 60+ engineers, technicians and researchers have led to this endorsement. It gives ourselves and our current and future partners confidence to look at the next steps.”

More about the Manta in the video.

Categories: Environment, News Tags: , ,