
System 002 / "Jenny"
At the end of July 2021, we returned to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to trial System 002, the latest iteration of our ocean cleanup system. It is our first large-scale cleanup system. The 12-week test campaign has now been concluded successfully – we have now reached proof of technology. System 002 will continue harvesting plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and in tandem, we have started working on System 03, a larger, upgraded ocean system, which is expected to be the blueprint design for scaling to a fleet of systems.
Ocean System Iteration
To succeed in our mission, we need a cleanup technology that not only captures plastic but whose design and operation are suited for growth into a global fleet. System 001/B (2019), achieved a relative speed difference that resulted in effective collection and retention of plastic. However, in order to achieve a goal of 90% reduction of floating ocean plastic by 2040, its parachute sea anchor design would require us to deploy hundreds of systems. To us, this is unfeasible, so we continued to advance our research and design. With a persistent problem that grows worse by the day, there is an urgency to reduce pollution as quickly as possible.

Using the learnings and data collected from the operation of System 001 and 001/B, we formulated a design for System 002. One key design improvement is the incorporation of active propulsion to move the system slightly faster than the flow of plastic in the water and maintain a continuous stable speed difference. We are also introducing the ability to steer the system, to reposition operations as needed into zones that have the highest density of plastic. Learn more about the design of System 002 on the Oceans page.

During our upcoming Pacific Ocean campaign, our goal is to validate the System 002 design. For success, we need to have limited negative environmental impact, no safety issues during operation, as well as realize a significant level of plastic extraction. If we reach these achievements, we would remain in the GPGP and continue collecting insights and harvesting more plastic. We will also use the time offshore to continue gathering data to further our knowledge of the organisms in the gyre, and improve our understanding of how The Ocean Cleanup technology could interact with sealife. We will also be able to verify the efficacy of our planned environmental mitigation measures.

After twelve weeks of offshore testing in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with System 002, in October 2021, our ocean technology was proven. It is the first time we could (effectively and repeatedly) demonstrate that a scalable cleanup method can remove trash from the ocean garbage patches, from tiny fragments of debris up to huge ghost nets. With the technology proven, we will return to the patch, commence cleanup, continue gathering learnings, and, in parallel, begin working on System 03, progressing to the Validation Phase. To advance to the Validation Phase, we must be able to confirm the design is our most effective, scalable concept. With some hardware updates and an extended size, System 03 will serve as a blueprint for scale-up.

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System 002 Test Plan
The System 002 test campaign in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch took place over 12 weeks (July to October 2021). The tests were successful and we can now confirm proof of technology. Watch us celebrate this moment on October 20th, 2021.

System 002 on social
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December 2020
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In preparation of launching our ocean cleanup System 002, we are finally back offshore on the North Sea to test the plastic retention system with our partner Maersk.
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June 2021
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Ocean System 002 taking off this summer.
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Preparations for the ocean System 002 mission continue. This week, Maersk Tender from Maersk Supply Service was in Rotterdam for mobilization - to load all the equipment and configure the deck to match the operational requirements of what will be our largest system to date.
Preparations are on track to launch System 002 in less than two months as planned. -
Two years ago today, we launched System 001/B into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and six months later, it returned with our first plastic catch.
In about 1.5 months, we will be launching our first large-scale cleanup system, System 002, in hopes of multifold impact. We just tested the retention zone (pictured), which is designed to hold plastic until it's offloaded. For reference: it is as big as a school bus. -
July
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Meet System 002, aka Jenny. In about two weeks, we are returning to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) with the next iteration of our ocean cleanup design. Based on our learnings from System 001/B, we have now incorporated active propulsion into the design.
What are the main benefits of this design feature? 1) We can now steer to high-density zones to accelerate the cleanup process, 2) Boosted span, speed, and efficiency = reduced cost/kg of plastic removed, 3) Quicker time to scale up, because of simpler, readily available technology, And if it works, we expect to be able to clean an area equal to 1 football field of ocean every 15 seconds. -
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On Monday, July 5th, 2021 we gave a detailed update on the design of our next ocean cleanup system, System 002 at the annual IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology) conference.
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“The whole choice of now shifting to adding propulsion was driven just by rationally looking at numbers. (…) Ultimately, what matters is the impact.” - Boyan Slat.
Bruno, Lead Computational Modeler, Arjen, Technology Manager, and Boyan, Founder and CEO, give a brief summary of their presentation on the design of our next ocean cleanup system, System 002. -
We work through iterative processes and learn by doing. With System 002, we aim to increase our impact and scalability.
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Soon we will set sail for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with Jenny.
With the System 002 campaign, we aim to move towards a blueprint design for scale-up, so our focus will be to monitor the environmental impact and test different configurations for optimal cleanup performance. -
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a vast expanse of marine debris, but, it's not just plastic waste that makes up this area of the ocean: many ecosystems exist within and around these waters.
To respectfully operate in these conditions, it's vital to understand any impact of our intervention.The purpose of our Environmental team is to monitor this impact prior, during, and after our cleanup efforts. -
Our crew is working on the last preparations before going out to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with Jenny, our largest system to date, by the end of this week.
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Prior to System 002's launch we sat down with Head of Technology, Arjen Tjallema and Senior Project Engineer, Reijnder de Feijter to discuss the preparations behind this new system and our expectations for it as we return to this infamous gyre in the Pacific Ocean.
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System 002, Jenny, has sailed off towards the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Best of luck, Jenny, we look forward to seeing you back with the next plastic catch.
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August
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Jenny and crew have arrived in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (145° 52' 8.5''W, 34° 50' 6.4''N to be exact).
We will now start installing System002. Weather depending, the deployment operations will last 2 to 3 days. Here are a few words from the captain: -
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch never sleeps: right after arrival at our waypoint in the patch, the crew started preparations for the first test deployment of System 002.
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Our first large-scale system (800m length), Jenny, has been deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for the first time. This was the first of more than 70 tests planned for the next 6 weeks.
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Update from offshore: Jenny already caught its first plastic in just two hours of test deployment. This doesn't yet prove that the system is successful, but it is a good sign.
The only setback we have encountered so far is the camera skiff (that monitors our catch) disconnecting from the system. Once it's reattached, we will proceed with further tests. -
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It's been a week since Jenny and the crew reached the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In this short period of time, the crew had already experienced some ups and downs. This is a brief report from offshore on what's been happening so far.
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Quick update from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Camera skiff has been repaired and system has been redeployed.
Hear it from our crew member Dave Cox, while he takes a closer look at the system during an inspection on August 18th. -
Catch of the day. Challenges keep the System 002 offshore crew busy but we’re seeing promising progress from the latest test run. Full mission report later this week.
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Three weeks into the System 002 mission and the offshore crew remains busy out in the Pacific Ocean. After conducting some troubleshooting in the first two weeks for the cam skiff, the team completed the most successful trial campaign of this mission. This was the longest deployment period for System 002, including nighttime operations, which has resulted in a more sizeable plastic catch than other tests.
While this looks promising, it is still too early in the test campaign to draw conclusions on performance. While the data is being analyzed, we will move ahead to find the optimal configurations for this new system. -
In The Ocean Cleanup’s first podcast recorded from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, two senior project engineers on board the Maersk Trader, Fedde Poppenk and Fraser Keil, give us a glimpse into the initial days, challenges, and successes of the System 002, aka Jenny, mission.
When offshore, you fail fast and learn fast, but the insights from this trip set the stage for the future of the campaign and the cleanup itself. -
"We’re almost halfway the test campaign of System 002 “Jenny” and things are looking very promising. We’ll leave the patch tomorrow for a crew change, then continue with longer-duration tests throughout the rest of the month."
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September
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It's a wrap for the 1st test trip of System 002
- We're halfway through the test program - System 002 was operational in the water for approx 120h - About 8.2 mT of trash harvested Vessels now on their way back for crew change. Longer-duration test runs planned for trip 2. -
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Halfway through the test campaign, Jenny (System 002) seems to perform well, and the plastic harvest looks promising. There’s more testing to come during trip 2. Hear more from Boyan in this quick update:
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Here's some trash Jenny picked up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch during test trip 1. How many items in this photo can you recognize?
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System 002 mission continues. After a short stop in Victoria for a crew change, the vessels are back on their way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The next weeks will be crucial in demonstrating the impact the System 002 technology can have. Good luck sailors and see you back in 6 weeks. -
Why We Must Clean the Ocean Garbage Patches
In my last blog I explained why we focus on intercepting plastic in rivers; we think it is the fastest and most cost-effective way to stop the inflow of plastic to the oceans. However, we think it is equally essential to clean up the legacy pollution that has accumulated in the oceans. Why? Let me explain. -
Déjà vu: we are back in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for the second test trip of six weeks.
This is our current location: 35°00'N, 145°40'W, where we are already deploying Jenny for the next tests. -
Follow the System 002 crew as they head back to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to continue trialing our latest ocean cleanup technology. The last 3 weeks were spent transiting, redeploying, and preparing for a new series of tests.
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Fresh from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch! This concludes the last short duration test. Now it's time for the real test: completely filling up the cleanup system. Stay tuned!
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The crew offshore in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch achieved our largest ocean plastic catch to date in a single extraction with System 002 on September 22nd, 2021. This load amounts to 3.8 tons and concludes the last short test of the campaign.
The next weeks will see the crew putting the system to longer tests, potentially harvesting significantly more. While we look forward to bigger catches, the reactions of the crew members as the deck gets filled with trash are already an indication of how close we are to proving the capacity and efficiency of our latest system. -
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Our ocean system is designed to catch floating plastic, not marine life. Here’s how:
- The system is towed at a very slow and constant speed of max 1.5 knots (think: half of a normal walking speed), so marine life can easily swim in, out, and around the system - We designed the system to have various mitigation measures: a quick release system, escape routes, cameras in the retention zone, lights, etc. - Protected Species Observers, marine biologists, and other crew are on board to monitor, report, and advise on marine life interactions. -
October
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Routine underwater inspection shot of System 002 during its first full-duration test. Fill level increasing steadily in the retention zone. The system has successfully faced stronger weather over the last few days with wind and waves picking up. More info in the coming days.
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Following our largest ocean plastic catch to date, the crew got to work sorting it on deck. In the meantime, System 002 aka Jenny has successfully faced stronger weather over the last few days with wind and waves picking up and is about halfway through the full duration test.
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BREAKING: the final test of System 002 is completed, and we have another big catch on deck. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch can now be cleaned.
The crew is already sorting the catch, and lots of information is still to be processed. Stay tuned! -
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October 8th, 2021: the final test extraction of System 002, and the moment we knew that cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is possible.
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System 002 is our first large-scale cleanup system. Its 12-week test campaign has now been concluded successfully – we have now reached proof of technology. Watch this video to see how it works.
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The day has come to celebrate the beginning of the end of the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch. On Wednesday, October 20th, The Ocean Cleanup welcomed back the offshore crew after a successful 12-week testing campaign in the Pacific that has led to proof of technology for our ocean cleanup design.
With System 002 and loads of plastic on board, we will take a brief pause at the Victoria Harbour to celebrate the dedication of our team and supporters before returning to the patch. There is no time to waste - cleanup is possible and it is imminent. We can do this and we invite you to join us. -
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The beginning of the end of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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"While it’s just the tip of the iceberg, these kilograms are the most important ones we will ever collect, because they are proof that cleanup is possible." - Boyan Slat.
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Slight delay in sail-off, as the Maersk support vessels were helping contain a fire on a ship off British Columbia.
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Boyan on board the Maersk Tender gives a tour of the strangest objects we recovered from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch during System 002 testing campaign.
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On October 20, 2021, we officially announced that after the successful completion of the System 002 test campaign, we have achieved proof of technology and are ready to return to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and start the cleanup.
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November
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After supporting in firefighting on a cargo ship off British Columbia, Maersk Trader, Maersk Tender, and the crew are now on their way back to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. ETA is towards the end of this week.
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Some of the most common objects we extract from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are eel traps used to catch hagfish. Here's our operations manager, Glen Kissack, explaining what they are in more detail.
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After safely reaching the patch, the crew redeployed System 002. But, not everything always goes according to plan: soon after redeployment, the wing section of the system detached. Our team is repairing Jenny onboard, and we expect to be back in the water (cleaning) soon.
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System 002 is back in action collecting plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch after re-deployment on the evening of November 12th.
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It's not always sunshine and rainbows - going 2000km offshore to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes with its challenges. Yet, despite the rocky start to their return, the crew remained focused on the mission.
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The offshore crew ends their week in the best way possible - with another 3345kg catch on deck and a quick turnaround time from extraction to plastic being stored away. Before / after:
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Trash or treasure? As the crew and Jenny prepare to return from another trip offshore, here are some more strange objects they recovered from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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Another trip to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with System 002 has ended, leaving the ocean a little bit cleaner.
For the coming 5 days, the vessels will be sailing back to port for a crew change. The next team will spend the holiday season in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A big thank you to all our supporters and the crew, who work tirelessly to make this cleanup possible. -
December
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On this Christmas eve we want to honor our offshore crew who left the comfort of their home during the Holidays to continue the cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Let them be rewarded with better weather and hopefully a great catch in the coming days.
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Footage of Yesterday’s extraction in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Another good catch in the bank for System 002. On to the next one.
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Year-end wrap-up videos are a social media essential these days, so here is a recap of what happened at The Ocean Cleanup in 2021.
It’s been another incredible ride for our team, and we look back at these 365 days during which we made substantial progress on our mission to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. From groundbreaking research to global partnerships, from reaching proof of technology with our latest ocean system to new Interceptor deployments in rivers, we navigated tumultuous seas and were greeted by stunning rainbows. If we had to give one number to sum it up, it would be 816,671 kg (and counting!) - our total combined catch in rivers and oceans this year. Of course, we look forward to crushing this number next year. And above all, thanks to all of you, supporters, partners, and followers for the growing enthusiasm year after year. -
January 2022
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Our crew has reached the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) and is getting ready to deploy Jenny at the marked location. We’ll then head for the red area – the hot spot where plastic density is expected to be high.
But ocean garbage patches aren’t solid ‘islands’ of trash. Instead, the plastic is dispersed throughout these accumulation zones, yet with a much higher concentration than in surrounding waters. The average concentration in the GPGP is around 60 kilograms per square kilometer, peaking at several hundred kilograms per square kilometer. -
Another collection of strange objects the crew extracted from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Fun fact: the trash we extract appears relatively clean because the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is far from key nutrient sources (coastal waters, deep water rising). As a result, you will see far less sea life growing on the plastic since there are simply not enough nutrients to grow. -
Instead of mapping plastic pollution with trawls and airplanes, we have developed a more intelligent and effective way to detect and monitor plastic debris.
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February
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Plastic Extraction at 33° 21.4' N 142° 15.2' W on 27/01. Tow time 3d 1hr 39min; total catch: 3245 kg.
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One of the features that ensures System 002 is safe for the environment is the quick-release mechanism designed to flush out the entire system if a protected species mistakingly swims into the retention zone. See it in action on Instagram.
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Here's the footage of another 3810kg catch from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on February 5th. See video on Instagram.
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Another 6820kg out of the ocean marks Jenny’s 23rd extraction so far and the last one before heading back to port for a crew change and offload. System 002's total catch is 55,020kg so far; 1/1500th of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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Thanks for making it happen! With the proceeds from The Ocean Cleanup sunglasses, we will be able to clean 500,000 football fields worth of ocean. All pairs of sunglasses have now found their owners, and we hope to see many of you wearing them in style over the coming years.
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Last week, we offloaded System 002 catch of 13,875kg collected in the previous six weeks, and a new crew is already sailing back to continue the cleanup in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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This is a compilation of the latest three extractions of System 002. The total catch is 55,020kg so far; 1/1500th of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and a new crew is already on their way back to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to continue the cleanup.
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March
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans, with ≈100 million kilos of floating plastic. After scale-up in the GPGP, we'll look into deploying a fleet of systems in the other ocean gyres.
What's next? Models indicate a significant accumulation of floating plastics in the Indian Ocean gyre (likely largest after the GPGP) due to large river sources. Still, there is limited observational data from this region to confirm the extent and location of the pollution. This year, our research team started to map the extent of floating plastic pollution in the Indian Ocean subtropical gyre during a 21-day expedition from Reunion Island into the western part of the subtropical gyre and back (≈5500km), sampling different sizes of debris. The expedition consisted of remote sensing of mega (>50 cm) and macro (5cm - 50cm) plastic debris, visual observations, and manta trawl to investigate the concentration of microplastics. Gathered data will be supported with another 2 expeditions over the coming 3 years. -
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We transformed the plastic catch from System 001/B into our first product – sunglasses and have recently reached the goal to fund the cleaning of 500,000 football fields worth of ocean. Here are some reflections about the entire journey from trash to treasure.
The Ocean Cleanup sunglasses were a proof of concept that ocean plastic can be transformed into beautiful, sustainable products. What's next? Our plan is to work with partners to recycle the plastic and transform it into durable plastic products. By recycling the collected ocean plastic into beautiful products that are made with certified plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, we aim to make the cleanup operational costs, to a large extent, financially self-sustainable. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/35ONcZv Please note: the sunglasses are out of stock as of February 2022. -
April
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The offshore crew and Jenny are on their way back after a challenging trip to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch due to heavy weather and some technical issues with the system. Yet, almost 60,000kgs of plastic are out of the ocean so far, thanks to System 002 and crew perseverance.
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June
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Fresh from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch just in time for #WorldOceansDay. System 002's 34th extraction makes the ocean another 6728kg of trash cleaner.
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So far, so good. Our offshore crew and System 002 have collected ≈82 tons of plastic from the ocean. In the meantime, System 03 (three times the size of Jenny) is already in production.
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July
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We collected over 82,000 kg of plastic in 29 extractions in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and are often still surprised by what we find among the System 002 catch. Here’s a glimpse.
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Here’s the footage of System 002 extraction on July 10th and another 7787kg of plastic out of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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We are preparing for the transition from System 002 to System 03, which will serve as the blueprint for scale-up to full fleet in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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BREAKING: more than 100,000kg of plastic removed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). Thank you to our determined offshore crew and supporters worldwide; together, we have now officially cleaned up 1/1000th of the GPGP.
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Today, our operation in the Pacific Ocean reached an exciting milestone: The Ocean Cleanup has now officially removed more than 100,000 kg of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP).
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Another day, another plastic extraction in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; sometimes System 002 retention zone needs a little hand to get emptied, but another 6319kg of plastic is out of the ocean for good.
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August
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Another big week cleaning the GPGP - two more loads of plastic (one 5685kg, the other 3507kg) removed from the ocean. System 002 is now in transit back to port for a crew change before we come back and do it all again.
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System 002/A, equipped with a new retention zone, was deployed for the first time in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on August 18th. For the coming weeks, we will evaluate the impact of this new component before transitioning to System 002/B.
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September
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Our research team just published its latest findings on the composition, origins, and age of plastic debris accumulating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) in the journal Scientific Reports.
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Ghost nets aren't only a hazard to turtles and other sea life - they're bad for boats too! On our Ground Truth research trip, a ghost net got stuck in our vessel's propeller (and not for the first time!). Watch the trip's Chief Engineer dive underwater to cut us loose.
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The End of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
This animated video shows our vision of a future in which the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - three times the size of France and containing up to 100,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste - is consigned to the history books. Subscribe to our channel to stay updated: -
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LIVE October 6 - The Ocean Cleanup Checkpoint 2022
On Thursday October 6, 2022 – weather permitting* - The Ocean Cleanup will tow Interceptor 007 to its deployment location in Ballona Creek, Los Angeles County – USA. As the sun rises, the latest generation of our Interceptor technology will begin its journey along the iconic coastline and beaches of California to its deployment location. This journey across the open ocean will take around six hours. Over the coming days, Interceptor 007 will be installed and trialed to begin preventing trash from reaching the ocean. To mark this checkpoint in our journey, The Ocean Cleanup is broadcasting the entire towing operation live from onboard Interceptor 007 in the Pacific Ocean as well as from The Ocean Cleanup HQ in Rotterdam, where crew members (and special guests) will be monitoring the operation, sharing stories and discussing where we are and where we’re going with our mission. -
System 002/A has performed well and removed over 25,000 kg of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in just 17 days. Our transition to System 03 continues this week, with the deployment of System 002/B expected to catch even larger amounts of plastic.
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October
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On October 11, we extracted the largest single catch for System 002 to date; 10,086 kg of plastic was removed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch after only 6.5 days, bringing us to a total of 145,518 kg extracted so far.
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November
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We've just improved on our single largest System 002 catch record. On October 24, we extracted 10,755 kg of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch after less than five days.
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Here’s a look at what happens once the plastic is extracted from the ocean: the crew pre-sorts it into fibrous and rigid plastic on deck, and once it’s back onshore, it will be recycled and transformed into new products. For this record catch of 10,755 kg, pre-sorting took about 6 hours.
Thank you to Maersk and the Maersk Supply Service crew for making this happen again and again for 55 extractions and counting. -
Here’s what 10,755 kg of trash pulled out of the ocean looks like on deck; in total, System 002 has cleaned up 169,565 kg from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch so far. There’s still a long way to go, but we expect to deploy System 002/B again this week.
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"To minimize the cost/kg of cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch we must maximize our sweeping efficiency. Thus, testing bigger floats in coming weeks to minimize risk of plastic overtopping. Current floats on the right, the two types we're now testing on the left."
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December
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Offshore crew pre-sorting System 002 catch on November 28 into fibrous and rigid plastics; another 6196kg of plastic is now permanently out of the ocean.
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Here's the footage of our latest System 002 plastic extraction from December 5th and the last one for the year, as our crew is returning to port today. As we approach the end of 2022, System 002 has cleaned up a total of 193,826 kg of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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After 61 extractions and 194,092 kg of plastic out of the ocean, System 002 is going on winter break until March 2023. Here's a review of our current status and plans for next year.
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Crossing 2,000,000 KG of Trash Removed Milestone (And More 2022 Highlights). Here is a recap of what happened at The Ocean Cleanup in 2022;
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February 2023
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We are returning to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with System 002/B in one week! Preparations include a new deck layout and equipment, such as a plastic compactor, in anticipation of bigger plastic catches, especially as we transition to System 03 (3 x the size of System 002).
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March
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Trash Island: where is It? How big is It? If it's three times the size of France, why can't it be seen from space? Direct from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, our researchers answer your questions - and explain why there is no ‘trash island’ in the Pacific.
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Now
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Coming up
Catching more plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with System 002.
The Ocean System Technology
Learn more about our ocean system design and approach to cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on our Oceans page.