Shortly after the Dutch Foundation Ocean Cleanup completed cleanup trials in the Pacific, the NGO conducted a meeting on Tuesday evening in Rotterdam to fully evaluate the current situation. A careful rundown of all tests was presented, and concerns and issues were brought to the table. After two hours of evaluation and discussion, it was concluded that System 001 shall continue to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
For the last two weeks, the Foundation’s crew aboard the ‘Maersk Launcher’ conducted a various tests on the system and the environment around it to be certain it was ready for the challenge of the world’s largest ocean garbage patch.
Deployment to the patch was never certain though; we would not tow this 600-meter device an extra 850 nautical miles, if we believed it would disproportionately outweigh the benefits of it being there. This is why, every step of the way, the Rotterdam team maintained communication with the offshore crew to carefully prepare for this decision.
There were many tests performed since September 15th, but there were five main checkpoints that needed to be confirmed in order to commence the journey to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This list included:
- U-shape installation
- Sufficient speed through water
- Ability to reorient when wind/wave direction changes
- Effective span in steady state
- No significant damage by the end of the test
The u-shape installation was the first item accomplished. The team was able to complete the operational configuration setup within two days by attaching the closing lines through the middle of the system. This was the first time the system had ever been in its intended U-shape , and, this is also an important feature for the system’s ability to move through the water and collect plastic.
Reorientation was another essential objective for testing. The system needs to reposition itself with the wind to keep the collected plastic in its center and to be able to continue in the path of plastic collection. The system followed the wind shifts and reoriented with the wind from all three positions. As expected, it was observed that with stronger wind speeds the system would orient much more efficiently.
Further, one item that was tested was the ability to capture floating debris by using GPS-equipped buoys, known as drifters, that were placed in the water and monitored as the system floated towards them and move them to the center of the floating screen. In one instance, the drifters moved away from the system and the team is currently analyzing why this occurred. In other instances, the drifters did make their way into or stay in the center of the system.
Overall, there was no significant damage recorded. The system is intact, and all major components are still functioning. The skirt, however, did incur some damage.
Upon arrival to the Pacific Trials destination, it was observed that there were two tears in the material above one of the ballast weights, likely resulting from the safety line connection when the screen was hoisted in the Seaplane Lagoon.
Repair has not been possible due to the placement and accessibility, but, neither tear has shown to worsen during this trial period. The interim solution is to roll up the damaged screen and ballast weight below to reduce the loads during the transfer to the GPGP. While we are continuing to explore options for repair, we do not expect these tears to have an effect on the functionality of the system.
