A new Norwegian partnership, including the Institute of Marine Research, shipowner Torvald Klaveness, Kongsberg and the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, seeks to develop a pilot project with the aim of mapping marine plastic and other environmental parameters vital to the health of the oceans. The partners will equip several vessels with advanced sensors to collect data for the Institute of Marine Research.
Plastic debris in the sea is a matter of great concern for international maritime industry, as every minute, about 15 tons of plastic end up in the ocean. If this trend of marine plastic pollution continues, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.
The aim of the new collaboration is to obtain information about the type of plastic found in various marine areas, and the composition and origin of the plastic. The project will also provide increased knowledge of how plastic is spread and the consequences for the marine environment. The Institute of Marine Research will plan the data sampling, and be responsible for handling and analysing the collected data.
Sensors on ships give us access to data from huge ocean areas and over long distances. This will increase our knowledge of microplastics, how they spread and the environmental consequences of this pollution,
…says Sissel Rogne, Managing Director of the Institute of Marine Research.
Under the project, Kongsberg will be responsible for developing and assembling sensor technology. Initially, up to five ships from shipowner Torvald Klaveness will be equipped with sensors. The ships will be in regular trade while the samples are taken.
The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association is heading up the project, and believes that cross-sector cooperation is important to finding solutions to the problems caused by marine garbage. CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, Harald Solberg, stated:
Norway is a world leader in maritime expertise and technology. We will now use that knowledge to obtain more information about the sea and the state of its health. Plastic in the ocean is a major environmental problem, and it is crucial that we find a solution. We are therefore proud that the industry will use its expertise to develop technology to map and record the extent of plastic in the ocean.
