New green energy sailboat Manta aims to clean up ocean

The waste is then sorted by a 22-man crew, who will send metal and glass to onshore recycling units and return the organic matter to the sea. The collected plastic waste is fed into the Waste-to-Electricity Conversion Unit which then turns the synthetic gas into electricity, providing power for the captain and crew.

Although the Manta was a result of Bourgon’s sea-based expeditions, its intended destination is actually mostly coastal areas and estuaries of rivers.

Bourgon explains, ‘the 20 largest rivers in southeast Asia account for 60% of ocean plastic’, and so the Manta will be concentrated in rivers such as the Yangtze and Ganges.

The Manta is ground-breaking for environmentalists and will be able to transform the way in which marine pollution is tackled.

Currently there are approximately 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our oceans, and the Manta promises a large-scale solution.

Due to the vast amount of waste, individual efforts will not be enough and we must look for large-scale, cooperative efforts. Luckily, Bourgon shares this vision.

‘I’m not in competition with other boat builders to be the only one with a Manta.’

‘Our hope is that hundreds of Mantas will be built around the world to help with the great ocean clean-up.’

The use of renewable energy sources is also exciting; powering such a large vessel on wind and solar opens up huge possibilities for the future of transport and technology.

The boat is set to make its first trip in 2025, and we hope to see a whole ocean of Mantas in the near future.