Shipping giant Maersk has collaborated with metal manufacturer DeepGreen to support The Ocean Cleanup (TOC) project, a plan to remove plastics from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch over the next five years.
The Maersk Launcher, currently under lease by DeepGreen for scientific work on the ocean floor, arrived in San Francisco Bay to launch TOC on September 8 2018.
According to a statement from DeepGreen, the Maersk Launcher will deploy TOC’s system to capture plastic debris in the Central Pacific, reducing pollution and decreasing the threat to marine wildlife.
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Steen S. Karstensen, CEO of Maersk Supply Service, made a statement: “We are truly proud to be supporting the installation of The Ocean Cleanup’s first system. Large towing operations have been a part of Maersk Supply Service’s work-scope for decades.
“It is rewarding to see that our marine capabilities can be utilised within new segments, and to support such an important environmental issue.”
Gerard Barron, CEO of DeepGreen, said: “DeepGreen believes the health of the oceans is essential to our future and that is why we are doing our part to assist The Ocean Cleanup in its visionary mission.
“As a company, we see it as our duty to not just harness cutting-edge science and technology to harvest ocean metals with minimal environmental impact but also improve the health of our oceans through our other activities.”
And we’re off – Maersk Launcher is now towing @TheOceanCleanup’s System 001 from #SanFrancisco Bay out into the #Pacific.#theoceancleanup #oceancleanup #oceanplastic #cleanseas pic.twitter.com/KbMuIpttE3
— Maersk (@Maersk) September 8, 2018
Greg Stone, oceanographer and DeepGreen’s Chief Ocean Scientist, also commented: “I have spent my life studying and working to protect the ocean. In more than 10,000 dives, in nearly every ocean on the planet, I've spent about two years under water and I know first-hand we have a lot of work to do to improve the health of the oceans.
“At DeepGreen, we think about this systematically. Taking macro-plastics out of our oceans is a step in the right direction and we are excited to support TOC.”
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