ENVIRONMENT
The Ocean Cleanup prepares for series production of interceptor in Malaysia.
Karl Tilkorn, Senior Vice President, Industrial Cranes and Products, Asia Pacific.
The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, and Konecranes recently announced that MHE-Demag is the chosen partner to design, manufacture, and service The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor to extract plastic from rivers before entering the ocean.
This is an important step as the non-profit organisation prepares to tackle the world’s 1000 most polluting rivers.
In Malaysia, five per cent of river basins are considered severely polluted and 42 per cent polluted – leaving only 53 per cent classified as ‘clean’.
The Ocean Cleanup introduced the Interceptor in 2019 and piloted one of the first devices in Malaysia last year in the Klang River to resuscitate the State’s polluted rivers and to clear them of garbage.
Deploying Interceptors on a large scale is necessary to rapidly address the urgent problem of ocean plastic pollution. The Ocean Cleanup is partnering with MHE-Demag because of their expertise and worldwide footprint.
Laying the groundwork for global scaleup, Interceptors 005 and 006 are currently being manufactured simultaneously at MHE-Demag’s facility in Klang and are expected to be completed in May 2021.
Moving forward, MHE-Demag will handle Interceptor manufacturing, installation, and maintenance; local partners will oversee operations, and The Ocean Cleanup will continue to act as the technology and best practices provider as well as lead business development for upcoming Interceptor projects.
Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat, remarked: “At the end of a very challenging year, I am happy to see series production begin for the Interceptor.
“This is a necessary step for us to tackle the global flow of plastic pollution to our oceans at scale. I believe Konecranes is well-suited for the job and I look forward to seeing them build many more Interceptors in the coming years.”
The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor was unveiled in late 2019. Three are deployed in Klang, Jakarta and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). A fourth Interceptor, in Vietnam, is expected to be launched early in 2021. — @Forest
Interceptors 005 and 006 being manufactured in Klang.
