With every year, the worldwide quantity of marine debris is increasing in our oceans. But if the current pace of plastic usage and disposal continues, by the year 2040 about 29 million metric tons of plastic would enter the ocean annually. The amount is equivalent to throwing away 110 pounds of plastic on every meter of coastline around the world.
Marine creatures mistake this plastic garbage for food. As a result, these plastic pieces choke and clog the stomachs of these creatures. Condition is that bad that it has now entered into every level of the ocean food chain.
For solving this issue, a French ocean adventurer Yvan Bourgnon and his team designed a yacht ‘The Manta’. It is a pioneering sailboat for collecting marine plastic waste. This sea vessel not only scoops up plastic garbage but also converts it into fuel for powering the boat.
Image courtesy: The SeaCleaners
Boat for the protection of the oceans and for protecting marine biodiversity
- The Manta is a giant, plastic-eating catamaran powered by renewable energy.
- This 56-meter (184 foot) hybrid sailboat is powered by a combination of advanced sail technology and electric motors.
- It is going to be the world’s first sea-cleaning vessel capable of collecting plastic waste on an industrial scale.
- The Manta is built from low-carbon steel.
- As it sails through the water, a conveyor belt will collect waste and will feed it into a burner. As a result, gas will be produced. Gas will move the turbine, thus generating electricity for the ship’s motors.
- It has a custom electric hybrid propulsion system that facilitates it to travel at controlled speeds optimum speed for waste collection.
- The catamaran is also fitted with a hybrid system featuring wind turbines, hydro generators, and solar panels.
- The Manta is expected to be capable of collecting and processing waste of 1 to 3 tons per hour.
- Manta’s objective is to rid the oceans of 5,000 to 10,000 tons of plastic waste per year.
