Showing support for the world's largest Ocean Cleanup

Jun 28, 2019

Trelleborg supplied The Ocean Cleanup with seven of its floating pneumatic fenders. Typically, these types of fenders are used for energy absorption when ships meet at sea. However, in this application the fenders will be part of one of the solutions tested as giant floating buoys that are connected to create a wind area.

This functions as a sail, which pulls The Ocean Cleanup’s advanced passive drifting boom system, System 001/B, forward to help retain plastic for longer periods of time. With harsh conditions in the Pacific Ocean and 1,000 miles from shore, industry leading designed floating buoys are a key factor for this testing period. Trelleborg delivered the fenders via its fender rental service in the Netherlands.

The fenders are intended to increase wind current to allow the system to retain plastic for longer periods of time. In June 2019, System 001/B will head back to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – the largest accumulation zone of plastic in the world, located between Hawaii and California.

The Ocean Cleanup’s System 001/B consists of a 150-meter-long floater that sits at the surface of the water and a tapered three meter deep skirt attached below. The floater provides buoyancy to the system and prevents plastic from flowing over it, while the skirt stops debris from escaping underneath. As the system moves through the water, the plastic collects within the boundaries of the U-shaped system. The concentrated plastic will be brought to shore for recycling and made into durable products. Revenue gained will help fund the clean-up expansion to the remaining four ocean gyres, which are large systems of rotating currents.

For more information on The Ocean Cleanup, visit: https://www.theoceancleanup.com/