The road to the cleanup
Mission 001 (i.e. System 001 and its variations) designs have been the world’s first cleanup systems to be trialed and utilized in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – the world’s largest accumulation zone of ocean plastics – situated halfway between Hawaii and California.
We have now proven our foundational concept with System 001/B, and will start the design process for System 002, which will become the first full-scale operational system that incorporates previous learnings. System 001/B will remain deployed for further and final testing until the end of November 2019.
System 001 Overview
Mission One
After 273 scale model tests, six at-sea prototypes, a comprehensive mapping of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) with 30 vessels and an airplane, and several technology iterations, we launched the world’s first cleanup system from San Francisco on September 8, 2018. During its approximate four months offshore, many aspects of the technology were proven, but it was observed that the system was not effectively retaining plastic. While the team was testing solutions, a fatigue fracture caused an 18-meter section of the system to detach. The crew and the system safely returned to shore on January 17, 2019, thus concluding the first campaign of System 001.
Proof of technology
During the System 001/B campaign, we managed to check off all items on our proof-of-concept checklist.
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Read full updateWe confirmed the final order for the first full-length floater, officially kicking off the procurement phase.
Procurement is a challenge of its own considering the scale of our system and the tight planning we're committed to follow. Finding the right suppliers, running quality checks and negotiating prices usually takes months. -
View onThe floater of the first ocean cleanup system is in production. The floater is the part of the system that is responsible for catching surface plastic and keep the system afloat. Once completed it will be 600 meters in length, and have a diameter of 1.2 meters.
Other system components will follow over the next few months and will be transported to our assembly line in San Francisco. -
View onAll 51 sections of the first ocean cleanup system’s floater are now out of the manufacturing plant.
After final handling, they will be sent out to the assembly site in California. -
View on"Preparing for the cleanup, next few weeks will mostly be spent on the finishing touches of the design. Final material choices, detailing connections, configuring the electrical instrumentation. Can’t wait to see it all come together."
via @boyanslat -
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View onThe engineering team is nearing final design of the first cleanup system electronics. Multiple electronic “pods" will be assembled to the floater.
Their solar panels will power everything from navigation lights and AIS to monitoring sensors and cameras. -
View on"We are excited to announce that Alameda will be home to @TheOceanCleanup’s first cleanup system. This passive drifting system is set to begin cleaning plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch this summer. It's time for the largest cleanup in history. #loveourisland #alamtg"
via @CityofAlameda -
Read full updateTogether with the City of Alameda, we signed a lease agreement for portions of the former Alameda Naval Air Station, a peninsula now known as Alameda Point.
Together with the City of Alameda, we signed a lease agreement for portions of the former Alameda Naval Air Station, a peninsula now known as Alameda Point. Located on San Francisco Bay, this is the site where assembly of the first cleanup system will begin within the next month. -
Read full updateA new ocean cleanup prototype is being deployed on the North Sea today. It is one of the last steps as we prepare to launch the first cleanup system in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch this summer.
To understand how we arrived at this point, here is a brief history of the North Sea prototypes, and the reasons why we're deploying another one. -
View on"Welcoming name suggestions for Cleanup System #1. Hope we can do a better job this time than we did with the prototypes"
via @boyanslat -
The final design of the system's towhead is confirmed.
The data gathered during the tow-test on the North Sea Prototype a week ago gave the engineers enough confidence to move ahead with this key component of the system. -
View onThe first parts have safely arrived at our Alameda Yard.
We expect to commence the assembly of cleanup system #1 next week. -
View onWe caught up with our Project Engineer on the Assembly Yard in Alameda just before the first components of cleanup system #1 arrived on site.
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The screen production for the first cleanup system is well underway.
The first batch of 120 meters has left our manufacturing site and is now in transit to the Assembly yard. -
View onThe crew has succesfully completed the first weld of two floater sections, officially marking the beginning of the assembly.
In total, 51 of these sections will be put together. At the 120-meter mark, we will take the system out for a tow-test. -
View onThe assembly of the first cleanup system made great progress over the last few days.
The completion of the first 120-meter section for the upcoming tow-test is now in sight. -
View onHaving completed all welds for the 120-meter test section, the assembly crew has now moved into the screen assembly phase.
The tow-test is scheduled to occur within the next two weeks, weather permitting. -
Read full updateAn update on our recent scale model tests, the most advanced we have conducted so far.
Our preliminary conclusions from the tests are that the motions and forces are in the range of what we expected based on our numerical modeling. -
View onAs the tow test of the 120-meter unit approaches, Boyan summarizes what is left to accomplish before we launch the first cleanup system into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch later this summer.
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Read full updateJust before we put the 120-meter section into the water for the tow test, here’s a recap of the work accomplished on the assembly yard for the first cleanup system.
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View onThe 120-meter tow test unit is now completely lowered into the lagoon, where it will receive full inspection and final checks before departure.
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View onWe have successfully initiated our 120-meter tow test unit towards its designated test pattern approximately 50 nautical miles outside of San Francisco’s Golden Gate.
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View onChecking progress on the assembly of the first cleanup system’s electronic components.
The system will rely on the sun to power everything from AIS, satellite communications, cameras, and sensors. -
View on"Meanwhile on the Pacific Ocean, the tow test is plowing through 10-15ft waves..."
via @boyanslat -
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The team is taking advantage of a calm weather window to inspect the 120-meter test section.
They just reported that the system came out of last week's rough testing conditions without significant issues. -
View onThe offshore crew made it back into the San Francisco Bay after more than two weeks testing the 120-meter unit in towing configuration.
Test results will be shared as we process them. -
View onThis clip we received from the assembly yard could make you think the crew lost their mind...
... but the reason they just cut the 120-meter tow test unit in half is to move ahead with the assembly of the full 600-meter system. -
View onWith the tow test successfully completed, the yard crew received the green light to continue the assembly.
The test piece has now been cut in half, allowing us to put the remaining sections in between in the coming weeks. -
View on"The Ocean Cleanup assembly yard from above. The black sub-assemblies are each 8% of the total length of the cleanup system. The white box is the welding station."
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Read full updateThe recently completed tow test was a crucial milestone on the road to the deployment of the world’s first ocean cleanup system.
The performance of the tow test unit left the team feeling more confident with this current design iteration and has exemplified that the system is ready for the challenge it is set to face in the Pacific. -
View onThe crew has started the painting process.
This includes both functional markings, as well as logos and the soon-to-be-revealed name of the system. -
View on"First stabilizer frames (preventing the system from rolling over) have arrived at the yard and will be attached to the main floater tomorrow."
via @boyanslat -
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View onThe crew has started lowering the system into the lagoon. This operation will progress in sync with the skirt assembly.
Once completed, we will proceed with the installation of stabilizers and electronics. -
View onIn Rotterdam, the research team is gearing up for a thorough data collection expedition, which will be running during the System 001 deployment.
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View onThe system 001 assembly just passed the halfway mark.
A few numbers to put this in perspective: 353.03 meters of floater have been welded, 204 meters of skirt is now attached below it, 1632 bolts have been tightened to connect the two. -
View onThese empty containers just arrived at the yard. They will be loaded on our deployment and support vessel, the Maersk Launcher.
If all goes according to plan, they will soon come back filled with the first plastic collected by System 001. -
View onWe are currently assembling the stabilizers of the cleanup system. As the name indicates, their purpose is to provide stability to the system and prevent it from rotating. In total, ten of these stabilizers will be attached to the system, consisting of either single or double floaters.
Note that on this aerial shot, we can clearly see how the floater absorbs the energy of the wind waves, which is the main driving force behind the cleanup system. -
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View onFirst footage of our full-scale cleanup system.
Assembly of final components to be completed next week. -
View onWith the system now fully launched in the lagoon, the assembly crew has moved on to assembling the last stabilizers and solar-powered electronics.
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Read full updateAfter six months of assembly, we can now announce that System 001 is officially complete.
After six months of assembly, we can now announce that System 001 is officially complete. It is currently positioned entirely in the Seaplane Lagoon – the sheltered body of water adjacent our assembly yard in Alameda. The cleanup system will make tow with the Maersk Launcher at Anchorage 9 on September 7th, the morning before the launch. -
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View onThe Ocean Cleanup launched the world’s first cleanup system on September 8, from San Francisco Bay. Re-watch the launch.
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Read full updateSystem 001 has launched into the Pacific, en route to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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View onMeet MegaMaid, our auxiliary vessel that will be assisting the plastic collection operations.
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View onAs we're approaching the test site, the crew is preparing the closing lines to lock the system in operational configuration.
At this point, the wind and waves will have helped the system form its U-shape. -
View onOne of our crew members in action during the first successful installation of the closing lines.
Made with Dyneema®, these four lines connect to a central quad plate and help the system maintain its U-shape in any condition. -
View onClear blue skies and calm waters, perfect conditions to perform the first installation of System 001 at the test site.
The Pacific Trial phase has begun. -
Read full updateFollowing the successful launch from the San Francisco Bay, System 001 traveled 350 nautical miles to commence the Pacific Trials.
The trials will last approximately two weeks and are a crucial step before we take System 001 the remaining 1000 nautical miles to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. -
View onTimelapse drone shot of System 001 during one of the re-orientation tests.
If it performs well for the remaining tests, we will have another checklist item completed. -
View onUnfavorable weather over the last couple days prevented the offshore crew from running new tests.
Priority was given to daily system inspections as well as deploying our autonomous environmental monitoring drone ship. -
View on14 days since the Pacific Trials began.
While the test plan is a little behind schedule, the engineering team has not yet seen any unexpected issues and aims to conduct the final tests this weekend. -
View onAn important meeting is happening right now at The Ocean Cleanup HQ in Rotterdam...
The GO/ NO GO decision will shortly be made on whether to complete trials and head to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. -
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View on"System 001 is back in towing config and is on it's way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch right now"
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Read full updateThe Go/No-Go meeting held earlier this week was the last chance for the team to bring concerns and issues to the table.
After two hours of evaluation and discussion, it was concluded that System 001 shall continue to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. -
View on430 nautical miles to go; System 001 is expected to reach the Great Pacific Garbage Patch deployment site by the end of the week.
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View on50 nautical miles to go.
We are almost at the deployment location in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch at 143.83°W, 30.89°N. Roughly 50 nautical miles to go. -
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View onInstallation successfully completed. Thank you to the offshore crew for your work. We are ready to start the cleanup.
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Read full updateCleanup Commences: System 001 has Arrived
This week, we deployed System 001 in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In the upcoming months, we are hoping to confirm its plastic capturing efficiency and survivability; thus proving our technology. -
View onRecap of System 001's trials and deployment
Watch a recap of System 001’s trials and deployment. Project Manager Henk van Dalen explains the recent progress and steps forward. -
View on"First plastic. It will still take a few weeks before real conclusions can be drawn, but some early observations: + very small pieces seem to get caught too + no interactions with marine life observed - plastic occasionally leaves system again. Now analysing behavior data to understand why"
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View onMaersk Launcher left Wilson, soon to be relieved by slightly smaller Maersk Transporter to continue monitoring and plastic collection in the coming months.
We would like to thank the 30-person crew on board and Maersk, Maersk Supply Service and DeepGreen for making this first shift successful. -
The second shift crew is approaching System 001 in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch after a brief transition period between vessels.
While the first shift focused on installation, evaluating performance and troubleshooting now take priority. First results and observations coming soon. -
Read full updateWilson Update - Tweaking the System
It has been four weeks since we deployed System 001 in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In this time, we have observed that plastic is exiting the system once it is collected, so we are currently working on causes and solutions to remedy this. -
View onWhile making adjustments to our cleanup system, the crew took the opportunity to recover this large ghost net drifting by.
Note: ghost nets account for 46% of the total mass of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. -
View onThe closing line extension did not effectively increase the span of the system and, therefore, the speed did not improve.
Further approaches to widen the u-shape are being evaluated and tested by the team. -
View onShift 3 crew just left port, carrying new equipment to further investigate the cleanup system’s behavior and make adjustments.
After 6 weeks out at sea, our Shift 2 offshore crew completed its monitoring, data collection, and research mission. Shift 3 crew just left port, carrying new equipment to further investigate the cleanup system’s behavior and make adjustments. Detailed update coming up next week. -
Read full updateShift 3 has recently arrived at the System 001 location in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), where a series of tests will be conducted to help us understand why Wilson is not retaining plastic.
Through this, we hope to learn as much as we can to be able to apply tactical solutions on Shift 4 (departing in five weeks). -
Read full updateWilson to Return to Port for Repair and Upgrade
Due to a structural malfunctioning of the cleanup system, today we made the decision to return to port earlier than planned. We will set sail as soon as an appropriate weather window is available. -
View onSystem 001 has been safely opened and reconnected to the Maersk Transporter.
116 days after launching from San Francisco, the tow back to Hawaii for upgrade and repair has begun. Operations will resume as soon as possible. -
System 001 safely made it back to Hawaii. It is now steadily anchored in Hilo Bay where it will receive a complete above and underwater inspection in the next couple days.
This marks the end of the first attempt to deploy our full scale cleanup system and the start of our countdown to relaunch. -
View onNot exactly “just another day at the office" for our Head of IT who traveled to Hawaii to make sure we fully retrieve over 115 days worth of monitoring and test data from Wilson’s sensors.
This data will be playing a key role in the way forward for our system. -
View onGood progress is being made on understanding the root causes of Wilson’s issues; we expect to finalize and share the conclusions in coming weeks.
With these results, we can begin modifications of the technology and plan for redeployment. -
View onWhen learning by doing, discovering and resolving issues is an essential part of achieving success.
This is the purpose of System 001 and here is the story of its first mission. -
Read full updateSystem 001 Learnings - Root Causes Summarized
During System 001's 4 months offshore, key features of the cleanup system were confirmed. We also encountered challenges which became the subject of a root cause analysis. We now understand what happened and plan to relaunch in the patch within months. -
Read full updateSystem Design Upgrades Completed, to be Relaunched in June
After the root cause analysis was finalized, the engineering team began working on solutions that we can start trialing in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in June. Read more in our latest update. -
View onThe offshore crew doing some final touch-ups before heading back to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with System 001/B.
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View onAfter only four months of design, procurement, and assembly, the crew is now on their way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with the upgraded System 001/B. Time to put it to the test.
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View onIn four months, we designed, procured, assembled, and launched an entirely new system, dubbed System 001/B.
This variation of System 001 entails modifications aimed at addressing the plastic retention issue we faced with Wilson. To learn quickly and achieve faster iterations cycles, speed is key with this design. This is how we got there and what our next steps will be. -
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Read full updateSystem 001/B, has arrived in the patch after eight days of transit.
During the deployment of System 001/B, we will trial modifications to speed it up or slow it down, with the end goal of creating a consistent speed through plastic that allows us to effectively capture and retain the catch. -
View onWelcome to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It looks like we are in the right spot to test our system.
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View onThe crew has conducted the first two tow tests and they are now testing the parachute sea anchor, all aimed at slowing down the system.
Data is being processed by HQ, but the tests are running smoothly and the weather has been favorable. We'll update after the campaign concludes. -
View onThe parachute sea anchor is the last test in our series of decelerating the system.
The weather caused rough sea conditions yesterday and, yet, no complications have been observed. Results are still underway, but the crew will move on to the configurations to accelerate the system in the coming days. -
View onOver the last week, the offshore crew has changed the configuration of the system to begin trialing speeding up the system.
Using these large lifting bags, we will conduct multiple tests to learn more about this potential modification to the design. -
View onMeet EVE, our AutoNaut USV - the autonomous research vessel.
EVE joins every offshore crew and helps monitor marine life around the cleanup systems. EVE also collects wave and current data and other atmospheric and water parameters. -
View onNo, you're not seeing double. The Maersk Launcher and Transporter are both in the middle of the patch for crew shift one and shift two handover.
With that complete, the first crew is heading home on the Launcher, while the second will continue the trials with System 001/B aboard the Transporter. Great work, team. -
View onAs we are well into the testing with System 001/B in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Boyan sat with Technology Manager, Arjen Tjallema, at our headquarters in Rotterdam to discuss the complexities of iteratively designing and testing the cleanup technology in this particular offshore environment.
Although this does entail its challenges, we aim to reach proven technology with this system, but, regardless of the outcome, the many learnings from this campaign will be applied to refining and improving our design and processes. -
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Read full updateInto the Twilight Zone
We have completed our test campaign with System 001/B. A consistent speed through the plastic has been achieved using the parachute anchor configuration, therefore, solving our main technical challenge with Wilson. However, the technology is not proven yet, as overtopping needs to be addressed before the plastic is effectively retained in the system. -
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View onSpecial delivery - the new screen designed to solve our overtopping issue arrived today.
Since the Maersk Transporter will be out of the field for resupplies and crew change in the next two weeks, installation is expected soon after its return. -
View onOffshore Talk - Catching Plastic, One Way or Another
As we were about to install System 001/B in the speed up configuration for the first time on July 8th this year, mechanical Engineer Fedde Poppenk sat on deck of the Maersk Transporter and took a few minutes to share some early positive observations about the slow-down configuration. Turns out, his intuition was confirmed a few weeks later as we picked slow-down as the winning concept. -
View onToday the offshore crew is expecting to complete the installation of the new screen, aimed at addressing the overtopping issue.
This design is made of 2 components: the screen which you can see in these pictures and the new removable retention system - aka cod-end - which will be connected to the central frame and allow for efficient extraction procedures. Testing will resume after installation. -
View onRight now the weather in the GPGP is preventing the team from completing screen modifications on System 001/B. While we wait for safer conditions, here is a quick recap of what we conceptually achieved so far and the one box left to be ticked on this mission.
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View onThe Ocean Cleanup press briefing, October 2nd, 10 am CEST
Today, we announced that System 001/B is successfully capturing and collecting plastic debris. Rewatch our press briefing on YouTube. -
Read full updateToday, we announced that System 001/B is successfully capturing and collecting plastic debris.
After one year of testing, we have succeeded in developing a self-contained system in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is using the natural forces of the ocean to passively catch and concentrate plastic, thereby confirming the most important principle behind the cleanup concept that was first presented by Boyan Slat at a TEDx conference in October 2012. -
View onThe crew has begun the return to shore with System 001/B. With this system, we have confirmed the core concept of the cleanup technology design and have completed all planned trials.
We will now look to the next big steps for 2020 - find out more on December 12.
Press briefing
On October 2, 2019, we held a press briefing, explaining our observations with System 001/B and that we now are catching and retaining plastic. Although there is still much work to do, this was an essential step in further system developments. Read more in our press release or watch the full announcement.
How it works
Our system takes advantage of natural oceanic forces to catch and concentrate plastic.