An autonomous ship, powered by electricity collecting waste from water. The project was created at the Gdańsk University of Technology together with partners from Taiwan. The project name is Zero Emission Waste Collecting Vessel to Use in Ports and Close-to-Shore Areas called ZeroWastePorts
“The ultimate aim of the ZeroWastePorts project is the initial design of the autonomous Waste Collecting Vessel (WCV) powered by electrical energy. The vessel’s primary function will be collecting waste from water and other ships. The ship will be adopted to operate both in open water and in difficult from a navigational point of view restricted areas (inside the harbour, marinas, inland waterways”, SeaTech reports.
A Polish-Taiwanese consortium agreed that the waste-collecting ship will be a maximum of 24 meters long and will be used in three different ports: Poland, Taiwan, and Rotterdam. The propulsion efficiency and manoeuvrability of the ship will be analysed using the most advanced research methods.
“We expect that reducing pollution in coastal waters will have a positive impact on marine fauna and flora. In addition, the ship itself is to be a zero-emission unit, powered by electricity. So it will be quiet (noises generated by the ship have a detrimental effect on marine organisms) and will not emit harmful exhaust fumes”, the scientist Maciej Reichel explains.