Tech & Science

Ocean Cleanup hits another snag as 60-foot section breaks off

Published

January 2, 2019

Hopefully, no one is keeping score because if they were it would be Great Pacific Garbage Patch: 2, Wilson: 0. Wilson is the name given to the 2,000-foot-long U-shaped “Ocean Cleanup Array” Dutch nonprofit, Ocean Cleanup launched on September 8, 2018, from San Francisco Bay.

Ocean Cleanup has already been grappling with how to retain the plastic waste the system has collected. On December 18, Digital Journal reported the floating device sent to corral a swirling island of trash between California and Hawaii has not swept up any plastic waste — but Ocean Cleanup founder Boyan Slat said a fix was in the works.

The latest problem was discovered on Saturday during a routine inspection of the 2000-foot barrier. Crew members found that an end section of the cleanup’s U-shaped boom had detached, Slat said on the nonprofit’s site.

Following a recent turn of events, we have decided to return System 001 to shore for repair and upgrades. Read more here: TheOceanCleanup) December 31, 2018

In a New Year’s Eve post, Slat wrote that he was “quite bummed about” the problem, reports USA Today. However, he added that “setbacks like this are inevitable when pioneering new technology at a rapid pace. Being in port provides us with the opportunity to make upgrades to the system.”

Slat also said that Wilson had collected about 4,500 pounds of plastic waste over a period of several weeks, a far cry from the 2,200 pounds the crew had believed it would collect every week. “We believe these teething troubles are solvable, and the cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch will be operational in 2019,” Slat wrote.

The team is heading back to Alameda, the former Naval Base in San Francisco Bay, California. This will allow them to address the barrier’s plastic retention issue, said Slat.

A Maersk Transporter rig is also bringing back two tons of plastic and discarded fishing ghost nets gathered over the past few weeks. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an area twice the size of Texas, consisting of discarded plastics, fishing nets, bottle tops, containers, and other junk.

In this article:60foot section of barrier, boyan slat, great pacific garbage patch, ocean cleanup, plastic waste, Technology

Written By Karen Graham

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.