Manta was designed by Yvan Bourgnon and the researchers and engineers from the SeaCleaners organization. Yvan is a professional sailor and experienced first-hand the state world’s oceans are in. “During my racing career, I’ve missed out on records and broken my boat 12 times from hitting ocean debris. I’ve circumnavigated the world twice in my life, once at the age of 12 with my parents, and another 30 years later. The difference in the amount of plastic pollution was alarming. I knew something had to be done.” he said in one of his interviews.
The area in most desperate need of help is Southeast Asia. Citarum, Ganges, Buringanga, Yamuna, and the Yellow River are all in the top 10 most polluted rivers in the world with Yangtze and Indus not far behind. The Manta and its crew’s main focus will be collecting, segregating, and properly utilizing up to 3 tons of trash present around the mouths of those rivers each hour, and all the plastic will be turned into energy by the WECU [waste-to-electricity conversion unit] and used to power the boat. Aside from WECU, the boat is equipped with solar panels, hydro generators, and wind turbines making it run almost entirely on green energy.
According to plans, the Manta should be ready to start its mission in 2024.
The goal of the SeaCleaners organization is to be collecting 10,000 tons of trash each year, fight ocean pollution and protect marine life and biodiversity.
sources
https://www.theseacleaners.org/the-manta-innovation/
https://robbreport.com/motors/marine/manta-super-sailing-vessel-eats-ocean-garbage-1234609050/