Norwegian fishing gear supplier Mørenot is playing a key role in the initiative to remove plastic from the marine environment spearheaded by Dutch NGO The Ocean Cleanup.
A prototype set of trawl gear designed to recover plastic waste from the sea was developed in 2021, and towed between two offshore vessels. This has been successful, to the point that Mørenot has gone ahead to develop an improved and updated version, under the name System 03.
‘With more than a century’s experience from the fisheries and aquaculture industry, it’s great that we can now use our technology and know-how to help The Ocean Cleanup develop System 03, which is three times as big as the previous system,’ said Mørenot group CEO Arne Birkeland.
‘We’re really enthusiastic about the project and are proud to be a part of it.’
The 2500-metre long cleanup gear has a depth of four metres and is rigged with an escape route to funnel any marine life back into the water unharmed. The two towing vessels maintain a 1.5-knot towing speed.
The System 03 gear is expected to be deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch towards the end of summer 2022.
‘Around 1-2 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year, posing an immense threat to all marine life. As part of an industry that depends on the ocean, this project is extremely important to us, and we will always continue to challenge ourselves to do even more to protect the oceans as an important food source for future generations,’ Arne Birkeland said.
