This Smart Ship Collects Ocean Waste and Turns It Into Electricity on the Spot

While electric vehicles are seen as the answer to environmental concerns on land, electric boats are becoming an increasingly popular option at sea. But there’s also the problem of huge quantities of waste that are polluting the oceans. This is why The SeaCleaners thought of a solution that would address both issues.

The Manta is designed to collect ocean waste at an industrial level and help clean the waters, while also running on clean energy. With a 185 ft (56,5 m) length, 85 ft (26 m) width and 203 ft (62 m) height, this boat features a hybrid propulsion system that allows it to sail at controlled lower speeds, which are required for collecting waste.

In terms of energy, the boat uses 2 wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels, 2 hydro generators and an energy conversion unit. All of these combined are able to generate a total of 500 kW of renewable energy.

The other amazing thing about Manta is that not only does it collect waste, but it also processes up to 95% of it while at sea, transforming it into electricity through the energy conversion unit. Now, this is what sustainable energy is all about.

So what are Manta’s targets? According to the NGO, the water-cleaning ship will focus its missions around the estuaries of some of the biggest rivers in the world. It turns out that these rivers, including the Yellow River, the Ganges or the Mekong, are responsible for a huge percentage of ocean plastic.

Although it can function as a deep-sea boat, Manta will operate in coastal areas, collecting 1 to 3 tons of plastic waste per hour. Its objective is to collect 10,000 tons per year. And whatever of this can’t be recycled onboard, will be delivered to recycling plants.

The Manta project is still under development, to be launched at sea in 2022.