Designed to help in the fight against ocean pollution, the Manta sailboat uses several surface collection systems.
This pioneering and eco-friendly sailboat operates at 75 percent without fossil fuels. It’s a multipurpose boat that’s moved by renewable energies and it’s a new way to keep our oceans safe.
The preservation of marine habitat, whether it’s their breeding, playing, or feeding area, is pivotal. The Manta is made with respect towards animal welfare.
The main motivation for removing plastic and other debris from oceans is keeping the biodiversity safe as every year, 1.5 million marine animals die from strangulation or ingestion.
The experts on the construction team monitored the Pacific’s marine for years and relied on expertise from other oceanographic organizations to ensure the design is interfering with the marine biodiversity as little as possible.
How Does the Manta Sailboat Help in the Fight against Ocean Pollution?
The Manta travels at a slow speed around 2.5 knots. Thanks to this slow speed, the marine mammals and turtles can breathe at the surface whereas the adult fish can escape by diving or sounding, without any invasion.
The Manta’s two main collection systems are the conveyor belts and the floatables. The former is positioned between the hulls and operates continuously.
At the top of the belts, sorting operators are present so that any marine organisms brought up the water through the wells can be returned.
The latter are nets placed on the back of the Manta and don’t go deeper than a meter. These systems have onboard cameras that allow the operators to see which fish go into or leave the nets and there are also escape hatches for their proper release.
What Is the Role of the Human Staff on the Manta?
The human staff includes sorting operators, as well as professional divers who intervene and observe the life happening around the Manta.
They move upstream of the Manta to eliminate big pieces of waste that could mess with the collection systems like big pieces of wood or something else. They’re also there to make sure marine life isn’t disturbed by the cleaning process.
The divers also help in circumscribing the area and identifying potential hazards. The collection systems are designed to allow small organisms like cod or herring to easily pass through the nets of the mashes.
The operators make sure that those that get caught are returned immediately into the water.
The decibels the boat generates are enough to keep them away, but not sufficient to disturb them. These are around 30 to 50 decibels so it doesn’t cause any harm to the marine life from that side.
The Manta sailboat is equipped with everything that’s necessary for a small oceanographic vessel so that every scientist can work on a mission of their choice. They also plan to welcome local scientists from the states in which they’ll operate.
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