The majority of the oceanographic field research will be
in the first 1-2 years, because many engineering topics
require the oceanographic results as input parameters
(environmental conditions, soil conditions, plastic flux,
etc.). In addition to pre-defined research topics (including
forces, boom-particle interaction, moorings, survivability,
etc.), these tests also serve to uncover any unforeseen
interactions between the structure and the environment,
as well as practicing operational procedures.
As can be seen in Figure 11.11, a testing project is followed
by another testing project. Depending on the available
resources, the tests may or may not overlap. The
mission control center will coordinate the other work
throughout the phase, and will fulfill the managerial role
in the testing projects. We expect this phase to take 3-4
years. Based on the cost breakdown over time, three distinct
sections can be identified; 2A (featuring the scale
model tests), 2B (featuring the up-scaling pilots) and 2C
(featuring the large scale pilot).
In terms of costs, the first phase required about € 100,000
in cash, and an estimated € 1-2 m of in-kind contributions.
In this second phase of the project, we project a
total cost of € 28 m. We aim to cover this through crowd
funding (2A), philanthropy (2B) and sponsorships (2C),
while also collaborating with companies and institutes
to reduce costs. Each source preemptively matches the
segment’s associated risk of success, required budget,
and aims with the source’s potential exposure and return.
Since during segment 2C ocean plastic would already be
harvested on a substantial scale, it could provide The
Ocean Cleanup with an opportunity to test out business
plans for phase 3; the full scale execution.
Further notices on the future plans, and the execution of
the work after the feasibility study can be found on
www.theoceancleanup.com.