According to a recent statement, Wärtsilä, the technology group, installed a Seabin at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club; the first Seabin to be donated in East Asia- bringing the Seabin Project’s floating rubbish bins around the world.
The Seabin is a floating garbage bin which is located in the water at marinas, docks, yacht clubs as well as commercial ports and collects floating debris.
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Water is sucked in from the surface and passes through a catch bag inside the Seabin. The water is then pumped back into the marina, leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag in the Seabin to be disposed of properly.
The Seabin Project aims to provide solutions to the problem of littering in seas around the world, approaching a holistic approach, with special focus on education, research and technology.
It was in 2017 when Wärtsilä signed an agreement with the Seabin Project to join their global pilot program in conjunction with Finland’s centennial. Adding to this, Wärtsilä’s continued support of the Seabin Project is part of its Future of the Seas initiative, which addresses the worldwide littering problem affecting the oceans.
Namely, in February 2017 it was announced that Wärtsilä would work in cooperation with Seabin Project for the following three years and has sponsored both the city and port of Helsinki’s involvement with the program. The Wärtsilä – Seabin partnership aims at dynamic and versatile actions using Wärtsilä’s experience, established technologies, and know-how in environmental product development.
Since then, Wärtsilä has donated more than 40 Seabins globally through its subsidiaries.
For instance, in May 2019, Wärtsilä announced its 36th donation, in favour of Project Seabin, which was launched in Marina Gdansk in Poland. At the time it was said that there were approximately 450 Seabins worldwide collecting floating rubbish in boat marinas, docks, and harbours.
Nikitha Manoharan, General Manager, Hong Kong Sales, Wärtsilä Marine Business said that
Wärtsilä is stepping up on sustainability by taking responsibility for the future of the marine environment and has invested in developing environmental technology for the marine industry. We are proud to collaborate with the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club installing the first Seabin in China, in order to better understand the health of local waters and the plastic problem in the seas.
The launch ceremony was held at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 and attracted members of the Yacht Club as well as many others who were excited to see the innovative floating rubbish bin in action first-hand.
John Woo, Commodore, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club highlighted that “the Club and its members understand the importance of protecting the sea, making our ‘playground’ cleaner and more sustainable. The Club is proud to be a leader in environmental and ocean protection”.
