Will a Catamaran be enough to Save the Oceans from Plastic? This is What the “Manta” Project Creators Hope.

Born as an almost visionary dream of an activist group, the Manta project is taking shape having passed the design phase and is ready to move on to realization. What are we talking about? Simple, the catamaran prototype called “Manta”, born with the aim of collecting plastic waste dispersed in the whole globe’s oceans! 

CONTACT US TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MANTA CLEANER

Who are the creators of the project Manta Cleaner?

The idea behind this project is due to the navigator and philanthropist Yvan Bourgnon who first presented the project at the 2016 Paris Boat Show.

Expert navigator, Bourgnon was struck by the dramatic condition of some seas in which he had sailed, so much so that he declared: “When I sailed with my family, as a child, I didn’t see plastic in the sea. Today in some areas of the oceans it is difficult to navigate for how much plastic and waste there are, a complete mess”. From the need to remedy this situation was born the idea to create the first ecological ship-factory capable of collecting, treating, and recovering plastic waste.

However, what, at the time of the Paris show, seemed only a great theoretical purpose but difficult to achieve, is instead of taking shape today, also and above all thanks to the SeaCleaners foundation, also born in 2016 with the specific purpose of finding technological and innovative solutions to reduce marine plastic pollution.

Thanks to a constant commitment, the initiative continued to grow over the following three years, raising funds and adhesions almost everywhere.

About 20 companies and five academic research laboratories collaborated on the design and development of the boat that finally seems ready to become reality.

How does this special catamaran work?

The basic project involves the construction of a catamaran equipped with a system capable of filtering plastics from seawater, separating them, and storing them before recycling.

Thus was born Manta, a double-hulled sailboat 56 meters long, 26 meters wide, and capable of carrying up to 34 people, where no aspect is left to chance.

Starting with its propulsion, designed to be completely ecological. Manta will in fact be driven not only by the wind through sails operating on automated rigging, but also by electric motors powered by 500 square meters of solar panels and two wind turbines. In addition, there is an energy storage system derived from waste treatment directly on board, to make Manta completely self-sufficient.

At full capacity, Manta will be able to collect floating waste up to one meter below the water surface, moving at a speed of two or three knots.

In order to further reduce the impact of this processes of collecting plastic from water on the marine ecosystem, the plant installed onboard also includes a system for separating waste from plankton and fish that will unintentionally be collected as well as the use of sound signals to remove cetaceans and fish from the catamaran route.

Which seas are most polluted by plastic? What are the causes?

Manta will operate mainly in the seas and oceans of Asia, Africa, and South America where the situation appears to be constantly worsening due to various causes including the lack or non-compliance with recycling laws, the non-existence of a social culture aimed at reuse, and state policies often complacent with those who have made the spill of plastics into the sea a real business.

Unfortunately, according to official estimates, between 9 and 12 million tons of plastic waste are thrown into the ocean every year, about 17 tons per minute. An impressive amount. 80% of plastics reach the sea mainly through rivers. Unfortunately, it has been calculated that ten of the most important Asia, Africa, and South American rivers have become the main means of transport by which plastic reaches seas and oceans. A situation that shows no signs of improving. 

Global plastic consumption has tripled over the past 25 years and is 200 times greater than in 1950. Currently, it is estimated that millions of fish and amphibian animals are already directly damaged by plastic.

If nothing is done in the next few years, the amount of ocean plastic waste is projected to increase to 29 million tons per year, the equivalent of 50 kg for every meter of coastline in the world. And by 2050, the oceans will contain the same amount of plastic as fish. A bleak scenario.

What are the Manta project’s short and long-term goals?

The declared goal of the Manta project creators is to recover and treat 10 thousand tons of waste a year once it is fully operational. An ambitious goal but not an end in itself. The hope of SeaCleaner is that, once the planned feasibility has been demonstrated, it can become a boost for the creation of a similar vehicle fleet capable of obtaining concrete results from an environmental point of view.

In addition to collecting plastic, Manta will then be able to carry it on board together with the crew of 22 even more than 10 scientists who will thus be able to use it as a scientific laboratory for the analysis of ocean plastic pollution. 

The path of the Manta project is therefore traced. The next step, according to the plans, is to select a shipyard capable of building the prototype to be subjected to the necessary tests. If all goes well, the launch is scheduled for 2024.

Contact  now YBH Charter Brokers:

You can contact us by sending an email at ask@yourboatholiday.com or by phone, calling +39 33436 00997, available also on WhatsApp for both calls and texting.