DNV Designs Ship to Combat Plastic Pollution in World’s Oceans

 Posted on (PRWEB) June 06, 2013 

Aquatic pollution, particularly plastic litter, is a serious environmental threat on a scale similar to CO2 in the atmosphere.

Spindrift concept vessel

Plastic pollution in the ocean is everyone's problem.

By the end of this decade there will be an estimated 230 million tons of plastic polluting the world’s oceans, enough material to make 400 million two-liter beverage bottles. Plastic takes anywhere from 10 to 500 years to degrade in the ocean.

To call attention to this enormous but ‘quiet’ problem, DNV along with the World Wildlife Fund, has designed a revolutionary new ocean research vessel, the Spindrift, as part of a worldwide awareness-building effort.

"Like CO2, plastic pollution in the ocean is everyone's problem, and like CO2 all the solutions are not clearly visible at present," says Bjørn Haugland, DNV’s Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer. “This vessel concept will help us map the pollution concentrations of the world’s oceans and test the most efficient ways to remove as much plastic debris as possible, and to safely dispose of it.”

The Spindrift is an 85m single-hull vessel that can support 38 researchers for 90 days at sea. The ship is equipped from stem to stern with systems and ergonomics specifically engineered for finding and removing plastic litter from the ocean.

In addition to its research capabilities, the Spindrift can accommodate just about every debris collection technology now available. The flexibility of the concept will permit the vessel to accept new technologies and collection gear as they are developed.

For more information about the environmental issues of plastic in the world’s oceans, and to learn more about the Spindrift vessel concept, please visit http://www.dnv.com/plasticaquatic.

About DNV
DNV is a global provider of knowledge for managing risk. Today, safe and responsible business conduct is both a license to operate and a competitive advantage. Our core competence is to identify, assess, and advise on risk management. From our leading position in certification, classification, verification, and training, we develop and apply standards and best practices. This helps our customers safely and responsibly improve their business performance. DNV is an independent organization with dedicated risk professionals in more than 100 countries, with the purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment.