Today, our results on the analysis of hyperspectral imagery collected during our 2016 Aerial Expedition above the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) were published in the scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology, authored by Shungudzemwoyo Garaba* et al. Earlier this year we presented our results of several...
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Following the successful launch from the San Francisco Bay, System 001 traveled 350 nautical miles to commence the Pacific Trials. The trials will last approximately two weeks and are a crucial step before we take System 001 the remaining approximate 800 nautical miles to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Consider it a final dress...
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After 5 years of research, engineering and testing, we launched the world’s first ocean cleanup system from San Francisco Bay, marking the start of the cleanup. The system is now on its way to an intermediary test stop, 250-350 nautical miles offshore for a 2-week trial before continuing its journey toward the Great Pacific Garbage...
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After six months of assembly, we can now announce that System 001 is officially complete. It is currently positioned entirely in the Seaplane Lagoon – the sheltered body of water adjacent our assembly yard in Alameda. The cleanup system will make tow with the Maersk Launcher at Anchorage 9 on September 7th, the morning before the...
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The following post you are about to read is a lengthy but necessary one. Generally, at The Ocean Cleanup, we avoid speaking out against criticism. We welcome all thoughtful critique and value the insight, but recently we experienced something different. At The Ocean Cleanup our mission is to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. Our...
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With the thorough analysis performed by independent environmental consultancy CSA Ocean Sciences now complete, The Ocean Cleanup has issued the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for System 001. The purpose of the EIA is to address the potential environmental risks of various factors related to the deployment of the...
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On May 11th, 2017 we unveiled our new method to clean up the world's ocean garbage patches. Instead of having one massive cleanup system fixed to the seabed, we unveiled a plan where we would instead deploy a fleet of many smaller, free-floating systems. To be able to passively collect the plastic, we came up with the idea to suspend a...
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On May 19th, from our assembly yard in Alameda, a 120-meter section of our cleanup system was towed out of San Francisco Bay and into the Pacific to conduct a tow test. We are happy to report that the entire section performed satisfactorily. Of the minor issues that the screen did endure, most were identified during earlier...
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Today, we entered into an agreement with the Netherlands relating to the deployment of our cleanup systems on the high seas. The agreement deals with matters such as safety of navigation, protection of the marine environment, and the rights of other users of the high seas with respect to our cleanup systems. With this agreement the...
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We have successfully initiated our 120-meter tow test unit towards its designated test pattern approximately 50 nautical miles outside of San Francisco’s Golden Gate. This is an important test before we deploy our complete system into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch later this summer. In our last update, we detailed the...
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