First Cleanup Barrier Test to be Deployed in Dutch Waters

The Ocean Cleanup will be deploying a 100 meter-long barrier segment in the second quarter of 2016 in the North Sea, 23 km off the coast of The Netherlands. It will be the first time the barrier design will be put to the test in open waters.

The main objective of the North Sea test is to monitor the effects of real-life sea conditions, with a focus on waves and currents. The motions of the barrier and the loads on the system will be monitored by cameras and sensors.

The floating barriers are regarded as one of the most critical elements of the concept, since they are responsible for capturing and concentrating the plastic debris. Due to their size and the extreme oceanic conditions, the barriers have always been top focus of the engineering team. After extensive computer modelling and scale model testing in controlled environments at the Deltares and MARIN basins, the engineers believe it is time to move the barrier to the next stage of development.

The test is a part of The Ocean Cleanup’s efforts to develop a passive technology to clean up the world’s oceanic garbage patches, testing and iterating the floating barrier design. The North Sea test will be helping to ensure the effectiveness and durability once the large-scale system will be deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2020.

Read more at The Ocean Cleanup

Image Credit: The Ocean Cleanup

-jk-