The Dutch Foundation Ocean Cleanup announced that it has successfully deployed the second test piece of the new North Sea prototype, in 26 September, 12 nautical miles off the coast of The Netherlands.
This second test piece features the organizations’s new rail suspension design. Both segments are now connected and will provide important comparative results in terms of structural endurance, the foundation informed.
The first part was deployed on August 29.
The new North Sea tests are aimed at assessing two variations of floater-screen connections as well as the application of antifouling on the screen, for approximately 6 months. As explained, the North Sea offers the ideal location to test for durability due to its extreme conditions and will allow to ensure survivability in the Pacific.
“The system has changed a lot since our first prototype with the most obvious design change of moving from a moored system to a free-floating system,” the Ocean Cleanup noted.
