The trials will last approximately two weeks and are a crucial step before the System 001 heads for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to clean the ocean plastic.
The system consists of a 600-meter-long U-shaped floating barrier with a three-meter skirt attached below. It is designed to be propelled by wind and waves, allowing it to passively catch and concentrate plastic debris in front of it.
“There are many tasks that must be accomplished during the Pacific Trials, but we have identified five main goals for the coming two weeks. Confirming these objectives will provide us with the understanding if the system is up for the challenge it’s set to face in the patch. Should we encounter any issues, it is much easier to tow the system back to shore from here than it would be all the way from the patch,” the Ocean Cleanup said in an update.
“We want to ensure the system can withstand the conditions of the ocean before we tow it all the way to the patch. We will perform checks at the end of the trials for damage. If we observe severe damage, we will then assess if this can be remedied on or offshore.”
The first step is U-shape installation, which has been completed successfully. It is the first time the system is in its intended shape, which is needed to conduct many tests.
This required connecting the closing lines, which help the system maintain its shape and prevent the system from flipping inside out.
It took approximately two days to arrange the system in its operational configuration. With the aid of the Maersk Launcher and the Megamaid, the closing lines were connected from the inside of System 001.
“The installation went very smoothly, and the system seems to be behaving well so far. Configuring the system in its u-shape is the first item from our checklist that we have accomplished, and it directly matches the predicted curvature from engineering models,” the organization added.
繼9月8日從舊金山灣出發後，Ocean Cleanup的System 001行駛了350海裡，開始了太平洋試驗。
試驗將持續大約兩週，是系統001前往大太平洋垃圾帶清潔海洋塑料之前的關鍵步驟。
該系統由一個600米長的U形浮動屏障組成，下方連接有一個三米長的裙狀檔板。它被設計成由風和波浪推動，允許它被動地捕獲並集中在它前面的塑料碎片。
“在太平洋試驗期間必須完成許多任務，但我們確定了未來兩週的五個主要目標。確認這些目標將使我們了解系統是否適應它將在垃圾帶中面臨的挑戰。我們是否應該遇到任何問題，從這裡將系統拖回岸邊比從垃圾帶那裡一直更容易，“ Ocean Cleanup在更新中說。
“我們希望確保系統在將其拖到補丁之前能夠承受海洋的條件。我們將在試驗結束時進行檢查以確定是否有損壞。如果我們發現嚴重損壞，我們將評估是否可以在海上或海上進行補救。“
第一步是U形安裝，已成功完成。這是系統第一次達到預期的形狀，這是進行許多測試所必需的。
這需要連接閉合線，這有助於系統保持其形狀並防止系統從內向外翻轉。
將系統安排在其運行配置中大約需要兩天時間。在Maersk Launcher和Megamaid的幫助下，關閉線從System 001內部連接起來。
“安裝過程非常順利，到目前為止系統似乎表現良好。我們已經完成的檢查表中的第一項是配置系統的U形，它直接匹配工程模型的預測曲率，“該組織補充道。
Information source: World Maritime News Staff; Image Courtesy: The Mercury News
