From gCaptain, January 4:
The u-shaped cleanup system that was deployed to the Pacific Garbage patch last fall is headed back to port for repairs due to a “structural malfunctioning” of the system, the company behind the project has announced.gCaptain should also have received a hat tip for the LNG post immediately below
In a blog post published this week, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup Project, Boyan Slat, said crews had discovered that an 18-meter end-section of System 001 had detached, requiring the entire system to be towed back to port for repairs and upgrades earlier than initially planned.
Both the 580-meter main section and the 18-meter end section are both reported to be completely stable. System 001 has now been safely opened and reconnected to the Maersk Transporter, which has commenced the tow back to the United States.
System 001, dubbed “Wilson”, departed from San Francisco for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch back in September as the world’s first large-scale system that would attempt to remove some of the nearly 2 trillion pieces of plastic that is estimated to be floating on or near the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
Despite early performance issues, which Slat openly detailed in a blog post published in November, plus these new developments, Slat admits that although disappointing, the system is returning to port with terabytes of data that will be used to make upgrades so that the system can return to the Garbage Patch again in 2019....MORE
Previously on The Ocean Cleanup:
Dec. 18
UPDATE: "Huge barrier isn't trapping plastic waste in Pacific Ocean"
Oct. 3
The Ocean Cleanup Completes Testing Regime, On to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Sept. 25
Maersk-backed TheOceanCleanup Puts Its System to Final Tests
Sept. 10
Maersk-backed TheOceanCleanup Have Launched their Contraption to Clear the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch'
July 2016
Dutch Deploy Boomy McBoomface
