Inspired by the plastic garbage he saw in the sea, a professional yacht racer has come up with an invention. Yvan Bourgnon created an ocean cleaning sailboat that is powered by the waste it collects. “The Manta”, as he named it, was specially designed for collecting and treating large amounts of floating plastic in polluted waters.
After competing for 20 years, Bourgnon witnessed the consequences of ocean pollution. Over time, he noticed a significant increase in plastic waste and how we continued to contaminate our waters. Moreover, in 2015, he had to abandon a race because his yacht struck plastic debris.
To solve this, the 56-meter-long hybrid sailboat was created. This vehicle will become the first sea-cleaning vessel that collects plastic waste on an industrial scale. Whenever it is not collecting rubbish, it will hold learning events and conferences for educating the public.
In terms of energy, the Manta will be 70% self-sufficient, thanks to the solar panels and wind turbines it has. Therefore, it will sail around collecting 3 tons of waste an hour, rarely needing to return to harbor. Another feature is three floatable gathering systems that give it a collection span of 46 meters and a depth of 1 meter. The accumulated waste will be divided into categories before disposal. Metal and glass go to recycling units, organic matter is released to the sea, and a machine vaporizes plastic waste.
The Manta will focus on the estuaries or mouths of the most polluting rivers. According to the plan, it will operate for 300 days a year and collect up to 10.000 of waste.
Although the project is just starting, SeaCleaners expect to release a functioning prototype by 2024. Bourgnon believes that with 400 vessels, the project could remove 33% of the ocean’s pollution.
Bibliography
Corbley, A. (2021, May 3rd) ‘The Manta’ Sailing Yacht is Designed to Feed on Plastic Waste for Power–While Cleaning Oceans. Good news network.
Zaltzman, J. (2021, April 23rd) Boat of the Week: This 185-Foot Sea-Cleaning Sailboat Collects up to 3 Tons of Ocean Garbage per Hour. Robb Report.
The Sea Cleaners (2021, January 26th) The Manta: A giant sailboat on the attack of oceanic plastic pollution [Video] Youtube https://youtu.be/v6w_niPEClU
The Sea Cleaners (n.d.) Manta and Innovation. The Sea Cleaners https://www.theseacleaners.org/the-manta-innovation/
Blazeby, M. (2021, February 5th) Inside the 56 metre plastic waste-consuming sailing catamaran concept Manta. Boat international.