First plastic-collecting vessel augurs changing tide in fight against pollution

GENEVA - With a total deck surface roughly the size of a football pitch, The Manta, the first seagoing boat capable of collecting large quantities of macro plastic waste floating on oceans, was definitely the star on the first day of the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva on Wednesday.

Though still under construction, the giant boat, designed to be 70 meters long, 49 meters wide and 61 meters high, is based on the latest innovative technologies in the field of clean self-sufficient energy, and has an optimized maneuverability allowing her to rapidly reach highly polluted areas whether at sea, along coast lines or in estuaries.

According to project manager Marc Lebrun, The Manta will be featuring an innovative hybrid propulsion system consisting of wind power, solar energy and Dyna-Rigg sails. Two Darrieus wind generators produce 500Kw/h to propel its electric engines and refuel the batteries on board that benefit from an optimized energy storage system.