You Don't Want to Hit This!

[44'cruisingcat]

Great Pacific Garbage Patch plastic removal system could become 'world's biggest piece of marine debris', critics say - Science News - ABC News

[a64pilot]

No, you really don’t.
I wonder though how much damage if any I would get, wondering if you would go over it, or is it floating so high you wouldn’t, and it ought not be too hard to light pretty well.
Surely they have thought of that?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Surely they have thought of that?

You would hope. But from reading the article it seems like there are a whole lot of things that they have NOT thought of, or have decided to just ignore. I admire the intent, but the execution in this case seems pretty half-baked!

[a64pilot]

I thought the garbage patch was a myth?
Biggest issue is see is first big storm is going to bust it into pieces, these pieces may be like floating container concerns, just hopefully without corners.

[GordMay]

From the linked article:
“... A ship will be permanently stationed alongside the first deployment, monitoring how it works and looking for flaws in the design...
... The floaters will be fitted with lights, automatic identification systems (AIS) and radar to reduce the risk of collision ...”

From their website*:
“
Survivability
The forces our moving system has to withstand are significantly reduced compared to that of a fixed structure, where by definition it needs to absorb all forces from the current and the wind added together. The forces on a drifting system become substantially less in comparison, regardless the weather conditions.


























* Here: https://www.theoceancleanup.com/technology/

[NorthCoastJoe]

Will there be enough density in the plastic to rest your boat on after your boat gets a large hole in it? Sounds dangerous if left unattended.

[boatman61]

Read the full article before getting your knickers in a twist guys.. and lets face it.. its not going to affect 95%+ of the membership.. as Gord points out the trials will be attended by a ship and ample beacons on the 'Scoop' so relax.
I imagine if its a success they'll continue with the AIS/Radar Reflectors etc else its a damn expensive disposable project.
Owts betta than Nowt as they say.. and to date Governments have been delivering Nowt..

[ArmyDaveNY]

It's an interesting idea and I'll give them credit for trying to do something. It will be an interesting project to watch. There are of course a lot of questions and to me, the biggest one is whether it works and if so, is it cost effective?

[senormechanico]

I sure hope they put a transmitting AIS beacon on that thing.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

I sure hope they put a transmitting AIS beacon on that thing.

According to the article they will have an AIS along with lights and there will also be a ship tied up to it.

[_andi_]

... I quite like that they do a small scale test. We'll see how it behaves. Dunno if it's a good idea but it certainly seems worth a prototype.

Would I want to hit this? Nah, I hate hitting things in general, especially if they have ais senders, lights and stuff.

[CMO Tashina]

I am heartened that this young Dutch man is so intent on restoring the planet our species has so carelessly trashed. If he does not succeed beyond his wildest expectations at the first attempt, I hope he keeps on perfecting the equipment until it does succeed. And of course, the rest of us could stand being more mindful about what gets dumped into our seas or allowed to blow overboard into the oceans.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by CMO Tashina

I am heartened that this young Dutch man is so intent on restoring the planet our species has so carelessly trashed. If he does not succeed beyond his wildest expectations at the first attempt, I hope he keeps on perfecting the equipment until it does succeed. And of course, the rest of us could stand being more mindful about what gets dumped into our seas or allowed to blow overboard into the oceans.

A+1..

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Great Pacific Garbage Patch plastic removal system could become 'world's biggest piece of marine debris', critics say - Science News - ABC News

It looks like an ecological disaster looking for a place to happen. JMHO

[Luckyknot]

This worries me. How will devices like this change human culture when it comes to handling waste? How long will it be before people rationalize littering and polluting because "it will all get picked up by the ocean trash collector anyways." It would seem that by the time the trash gets to the pick up location it or its lost parts will have already done much damage. What about everything that sinks before even making it out of a stream? We're just chopping the top off an iceberg with this thing.