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Tag: Plastic debris

Pilot with the WasteShark in Dordrecht a success

Original article in Dutch. Translation below:  The pilot with the so called WasteShark was a success according to the Dordrecht municipality. During the trials, the device navigated through the Spuihaven in the Dordrecht city centre to clean plastic waste.

The WasteShark collected each time approximately three bags of garbage. This is just as much as what was being fished out before the trial by two men in a boat. The WasteShark makes the boat unnecessary and is also operated by one man.

For the pilot the municipality of Dordrecht cooperated with the developer RanMarine Technology, contractor Krinkels, Cirkellab and the water authority Hollandse Delta. Some experience was gained with the device previously in the Rotterdam port area.

The WasteShark is operated from the waterfront. By means of a camera on the drone, the operator can see what the WasteShark encounters. In addition to waste, they also involved reeds, lily leaves and bridges. To manage these obstacles, the drone was adjusted during the trial period.

The local residents of the Spuihaven were happy with the WasteShark. RanMarine and Krinkels will continue to develop the drone together and deploy it elsewhere in the country. The collected waste is reused. Cirkellabwants to make it a work of art.

Read the full article by Rijnmond article

Sir Robert Syms Opposes Plastic Pollution

Today our Poole MP, Sir Robert Syms, performed the first UK launch of a drone called WasteShark that collects floating plastic and other rubbish so that it can be removed and recycled. Robert used the occasion to give an interview for BBC Radio Solent in which he described the importance of keeping out local waters free of plastic pollution, which can endanger wildlife and spoil Poole Harbour unless we remain vigilant.

The WasteShark drone can either be steered by a handheld joystick or run in autonomous mode, either around a set course or within a set perimeter. It runs silently and safely on rechargeable batteries and includes collision avoidance software. It can hold up to a third of a ton of rubbish before it needs to be emptied and it poses no threat to marine life. At the same time, the drone can serve as a platform for a variety of sensors to measure water quality, temperature and so on.

On behalf of RanMarine Technology, Oliver Cunningham (pictured above) introduced Robert to the WasteShark drone and explained its featured and benefits on BBC Radio Solent before Robert launched the drone into Poole Harbour (picture above). The company vision is that the drones can work steadily in coastal waters worldwide, doing their bit to solve the plastic pollution problem, piece by piece.

The vision is that WasteShark drones can work steadily in urban and coastal waters worldwide, doing their bit to solve the plastic pollution problem, and supporting evidence-based management of Smart Cities.

Read the full article by Poole Conservatives article

Gobbling up your marina problem

ROTTERDAM RanMarine Technology, a 4-year-old Dutch company, has a solution for marina operators for whom floating garbage is an unending pain-in-the-neck. The company has developed the WasteShark, an aquadrone that removes trash and nasty flora from the water.

The WasteShark works round-the-clock, gobbling up garbage floating around marinas and shipyard waters. It also records the water’s temperature, depth and oxygen content with a view to improving water management. Units are now running in pilot projects in the city of Rotterdam and the port of nearby Dordrecht. Commercial projects start soon in South Africa and India.

RanMarine Technology says its drones operate above all in locations where trash is known to collect “waste choke-holds” created by tides and weather. It does not recommend using them in shipping lanes or other high traffic areas.

The cost of sea litter in the European Union has been estimated at up to €630 million a year – mostly plastics.

Richard Hardiman, head of the WasteShark project calls himself “an accidental environmentalist.” He says one day he watched 2 men struggling to scoop litter from a harbor. It led him to develop an aqua drone that collects garbage in a basket,  powered by rechargeable batteries and relatively silent.

Rotterdam rising – maritime innovators

Rotterdam also acts as a magnet for maritime innovators from around the world. Richard Hardiman launched his RanMarine technology company three years ago in his native South Africa, but moved to Rotterdam when he gained a place at PortXL, the world’s first maritime startup accelerator.

Hardiman has been developing a kind of floating drone called WasteShark, which travels around collecting floating waste in harbours and waterways. (“It sounds easy, but technically it’s not,” he points out.) Over the last few months, WasteSharks have been tested all over the world, from Mumbai to Baltimore and points in between, and from this month they will be available for sale.

“Rotterdam’s ecosystem is very impressive,” says Hardiman. “I’d been here a few times previously and knew it was a lovely city, but I wasn’t aware of the tech ecosystem they’ve developed here. They have worked really hard at it. Over the last two or three years, the Port of Rotterdam, local government, the mayor’s office and various companies within Rotterdam have transformed what was largely a port city into a tech hub. It really has become the innovative hub of the Netherlands.”

For the full magazine article by Business Life Promotion: click here

The accidental environmentalist – Richard Hardiman (TEDx event CapeTown)

Meet Richard Hardiman, the CEO of RanMarine Technology BV, an environmental technology company specifically focused on using drones in ports, harbours, marinas and inland water environments.

Meet Richard Hardiman, the CEO of RanMarine Technology BV, an environmental technology company specifically focused on using drones in ports, harbours, marinas and inland water environments.

RanMarine Technology’s fully autonomous drones swim through the water, collecting waste and other non-biodegradables, whilst gathering data about the environment.

We asked Hardiman what motivated him to agree to stand on stage at our next TEDxCapeTownSalon event, to which he responded: “I wanted to share our team’s journey and explain how we intend to change and help heal the Oceans through technology.” “I am inspired by people who do bigger things and play a “bigger game” in life”, and that feeds into what he hopes to achieve with this experience. “I want to…inspire others to think a little differently and perhaps also take that leap of faith”. Hardiman, a radio veteran, he not only hosted a show on KFM for many years but also co-founded 2oceansvibe Radio, confesses to feeling a bit nervous and a little stressed about his TEDx talk but adds that he’s “…ultimately looking forward to it”.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community

The original TEDx video can be found TEDx