Today, we will go on a boat trip. But, what if I told you that it is a sea-cleaning sailboat that feeds on plastic waste. Dear reader, I introduce you to Manta, the amazing innovation of Yvan Bourgnon, a French ocean adventurer who decided to tackle the plastic issue. He realized that the oceans of his childhood were completely different than those he can observe now. Besides, four of his boats were damaged because of containers in the sea, so he lost races he could have won. Something motivated him to take action. A year after the tragic accident in June 2015, when his brother was reported missing while diving, Yvan decided to launch The SeaCleaners association.
Manta, the first sea-cleaning sailboat
The Manta is a giant catamaran (56-meter and 1,900 tonnes) that can collect between 1 to 3 tonnes of waste per hour thanks to its combination of advanced sail technology and electric motors.
It is the first boat ever capable of collecting, sorting and recovering plastic waste present in the oceans. It’s a great innovation that allows transforming this waste into energy.
The energy released by this process will supply energy to the boat, complemented by solar panels, two wind turbines, hydro generators but also generators to restrict the use of fossil fuels. This unique and innovative system will allow the Manta to operate on average 75% of the time autonomously, without using fossil fuels, and with a minimal environmental footprint.
Action by 2024
It is estimated that the first model of the Manta will be delivered by 2024. This boat should be operational in 2024 for a first mission in the Mediterranean before leaving for South-East Asia, in the places where the concentration of plastic is dense.
However, Yvan Bourgnon recognizes that one boat won’t be enough to clean the oceans. “We think we can eradicate a third of global pollution with 300 to 400 boats. When we know that there are 17,000 garbage trucks in France, it is ridiculous!” says the adventurer.
Join beterre and help cleaning the sea
2024 is still far, and we can take action right now! By joining beterre, you will be able to reduce your plastic use and prevent them from entering the oceans. Cleaning the oceans is great but if we could tackle the issue from its start it would be beterre.
And if you haven’t already, you can download the search engine called OceanHero. It will allow you to help clean the oceans from home since it collects bottles for every research you do. So why don’t you start now?
References
https://www.inceptivemind.com/yvan-bourgnon-seacleaners-manta-sea-cleaning-sailboat/18729/
https://www.illustre.ch/magazine/la-croisiere-croisade-dyvan-bourgnon-contre-le-plastique
