Self-sufficient catamaran inspired by the manta ray, to clean the oceans
Founded by Yvan Bourgnon, The Sea Cleaners is a non-profit association(*) dedicated to ocean conservation: his catamaran will collect plastic solid waste, will compact them offshore to produce its own energy and will carry out scientific surveys.
During his many transatlantic crossings, the seafarer, explorer and environmental activist noted the increasing proportion of plastic waste in the world's oceans. Using his expertise, he has settled a giant vessel project, integrating a sorting chain of plastic waste processing in continuous flow, and a system of transformation of some of them into renewable energy, covering the energy needs of the boat.
The second chapter of his action is educational: to protect biodiversity to replace the human in the heart of environmental challenges of tomorrow, to boost local and circular economies everywhere in the world, by proposing solutions for plastic waste recovery. The Manta will also to do scientific measurements.
Significant technical improvements have been made since the launching of the project such as being able to transform waste collected in its entirety in order to avoid storing it: it allowed to modify the shape of the ship which has become a catamaran and the team aims to duplicate the construction of the boat all around the planet.
In 2022, Bureau Veritas, the leading ship classification company, awarded the Manta with “Approval In Principle” certification.The boat is now fit to be built. The Sea Cleaners is an accredited observer of the UNO Environment, and supported by numbers of committed institutions like the Oceanographic Institute Foundation Albert 1, Prince of Monaco, as well as shipping and construction industry actors, insurance and financial companies.
(*) The Sea Cleaners is a French non-profit organization under the law of 1901
Photo of Yvan Bourgnon © Marie Lasource
Sunday 7 May 2023, 13:24
