In simple terms: when our system is operating, the Retention Zone acts like a huge bag, collecting the plastic guided into the bag by the system’s wings. Once the bag is full, we take it out of the water, empty the contents onto the deck of our vessels, and put it back to collect another load.
In a bit more detail: Once we see the Retention Zone is full of plastic, both ends of the system are attached to a single vessel. A buoy is connected to the extraction vessel, activating a choke to close off the Retention Zone opening, allowing it to be rolled onto the ship deck.
The extraction vessel has a crane to lift the Retention Zone, emptying the extracted plastic onto the deck below.
Once the plastic is on deck, the Retention Zone is re-secured and placed into the water to return to cleaning. We have many videos of our extractions on our YouTube channel.