Engineering | Updates | The Ocean Cleanup

Into 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…

Engineering

System 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. The upgraded design,…

Engineering, General

System 001 Learnings – Root Causes Summarized

In September, we launched our first system, with the aim of achieving proof of technology and commencing cleanup. Twenty years after the discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, this…

Engineering, General

Wilson Update – Tweaking the System

It has been four weeks since we deployed System 001 in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). In this time, we have observed that plastic is exiting the system once…

Engineering

System 001 Assembly Completed

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…

Engineering, General

The Final Design of the World’s First Cleanup System

On May 11th, 2017 we unveiled our new method to clean up the world's ocean garbage patches. Instead of having one massive cleanup system fixed to the seabed, we unveiled…

In May 2018, a 120-meter section of the system successfully passed a tow test in the Pacific Ocean, being subjected to waves of up to 5 meters.

Engineering, Testing

Successful Tow Test Validates System 001 Seaworthiness

On May 19th, from our assembly yard in Alameda, a 120-meter section of our cleanup system was towed out of San Francisco Bay and into the Pacific to conduct a…

Engineering, General

System 001 Assembly: 120-meter Tow Test Unit Completed

To meet our ambitious goals of deploying the first ocean cleanup system this summer, we are reminded of one of our basic design principles here at The Ocean Cleanup: doing…

Hundreds of scale model tests were conducted throughout the years to refine the design and predict the behavior and performance of the system

Engineering, Testing

Looking Back on our Most Advanced Scale Model Test to Date

Before we share some great news on the System 001 assembly front, we wanted to provide you with an update on our recent scale model tests, the most advanced we…

Engineering, General, Testing

Unscheduled Learning Opportunities on the North Sea

A 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…