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sustainable oceans:

new efforts to clean plastic waste

By 2050 there could be more plastic waste in the oceans than fi sh. A number of new
Norwegian initiatives aim to clean the seas and even convert the waste into energy.

By Valeria Criscione

In February 2017, a sick Cuvier beaked industry to seize the opportunities The Norwegian Environmental Association
whale was found beached on the shores of the 17 United Nation’ Sustainable believes part of the answer lies in using
in western Norway. Inside, scientists from Development Goals or, as DNV GL the country’s offshore vessels in dry dock
the University of Bergen discovered around sustainability director Bjørn Haugland calls for cleaning up the seas. As of February
30 plastic bags in its belly, sparking public them, the “17 innovation platforms.” 2017, 158 ships and 25 mobile offshore
awareness of the growing problem with These include acting on the Paris units belonging to NSA members were in
plastics at sea. Climate Agreement, building sustainable dry dock, an increase of 57 ships and nine
communities and infrastructure, protecting units from the previous year. Norwegian
The incident could not have been better life in the ocean, creating a sustainable shipowner Havila Shipping, for example,
timed. The Norwegian government was future for the ocean economy, and has offered up the platform supply vessel
in the midst of a widespread campaign to promoting responsible practices. Havila Favour to help the Norwegian
promote the country’s ocean interests. For company Clean Coast in Vanylven chart
the fi rst time, Norway has included plastics One of the biggest threats to life in the and clean environmental waste along the
in a government statement on the role of ocean is plastic waste. According to the coast of Norway.
the oceans in its foreign and development 2016 World Economic Forum publication,
policy. As part of the initiative, the “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking Converting Plastic to Fuel
government has set aside NOK 100 million the Future of Plastics” eight million tons Two Norwegian companies have taken the
for a development program to combat of plastics leak into the oceans annually. concept further and proposed a concept
marine litter and micro-plastics. That has led to more than 150 million that can utilize the in-active supply vessels
tons of plastic at sea, mostly from plastic to collect the fl oating plastic waste in deep
“Through this statement, we want to be a packaging. Left unchecked, the amount sea waters for conversion to energy. The
champion of the ocean, both for pollution of plastic could reach one ton for every technology company Quantafuel and boom
and the sustainable use of it,” says three tons of fi sh by 2025 and potentially system producer Norlense have teamed
Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg at outnumber fi sh by weight by 2050. up for a solution to collect plastic using
the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association
(NSA) annual Maritime Outlook conference
last March (2017).
Sustainable Maritime
Opportunities
The prime minister was speaking in
connection with the release of a NSA
commissioned report called “Sustainable
Development Goals: Exploring Maritime
Opportunities” written by the classifi cation
company DNV GL. The report
recommends fi ve ways for the maritime

Quantafuel and NorLense have teamed up with
a concept to collect plastic waste and sea for
conversion into synthetic diesel fuel.
© Aurora Borealis Multimedia/NorLense

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