Updates

Oceans

System 001/B – The Mission Plan

In our last update, we shared the modifications to our system design and how we plan to test them in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch this summer. Now, only one month…

Engineering, Oceans

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,…

Environment, Oceans, Research

Whales likely impacted by Great Pacific Garbage Patch

A scientific note we published on April 09, 2019 reports the records of whales within the world’s largest accumulation of floating ocean plastic: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Over the…

Engineering, Oceans

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…

Oceans, Research

Chasing Plastics: How to Close the Ocean Plastic Mass Balance

At The Ocean Cleanup we believe that you cannot solve a problem if you do not fully understand it. For this reason, we have put extensive efforts into fundamental plastic…

Oceans

Wilson 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…

Engineering, Oceans

Testing Continues to Understand System Behavior

Shift 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…

Oceans

Cleanup Commences: System 001 Has Arrived

On October 3rd, System 001 embarked on its final leg of the journey to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We are happy to announce that it has reached its intended…

Oceans

Pacific Trials Results: System 001 is Go

What we are doing is unprecedented. There has never been a cleanup system of this magnitude deployed in the ocean. Therefore, continual testing is integral to our design process. We…

Oceans

Pacific Trials – The Gateway to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Following 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…