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offshore boat booms and then transform is the immense amount of plastic that The initiative aims to create concrete
the waste on board into synthetic diesel for is not recycled. According to Bohn, solutions that can turn the negative
use as ship fuel and re-sale to land-based roughly 92% of the 300 million tons environment development in the oceans.
markets. produced annually ends up in the dumps The organization has already outlined plans
or in nature. for a new concept that collects plastic
Quantafuel has developed a unique from the oceans with the goal of burning
catalyzer that turns plastic waste into “Plastic is a big problem with a big cost,” waste and marine debris collected at sea,
synthetic diesel, which contains less says Bohn. “So it is an especially nice thing including plastic on board. Each kilogram
greenhouse emissions than regular to be able to present a solution for people of waste burned in will become 110 kW of
diesel. The company fi rst uses traditional dealing with plastic that can provide an thermal power that will go into the ship’s
technology to convert several types of income.” hot water circuits, without emitting CO2.
carbon resources, such as biomass,
plastic and potentially even coal, into Researching Ocean Pollution The Norwegian shipyard Vard will build
synthetic gas. Its catalyst then transforms Another healthy ocean initiative was the REV for delivery in 2020. The vessel is
the gas into synthetic diesel. recently launched by the environmental designed to sail all types of oceans, but will
organization WWF Norway and Norwegian be particularly important for researching
The company has decided to start its billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke. As part of the the remote polar areas of the Arctic and
commercial rollout with plastic because agreement announced last May, Rosselini Antarctica. The advanced ship will boast
it is made of raw oil and very energy Four-10, a subsidiary of Røkke’s company a 40-seat auditorium and multiple labs.
intensive, says Kjetil Bohn, Quantafuel The Resource Group, is developing a Up to 60 researchers from many fi elds
managing director, during Enova’s research and expedition vessel REV that will simultaneously be able to work on the
conference in Trondheim last February. will survey pollution and marine debris at marine challenges putting pressure on
This means the plants can be smaller the bottom of the oceans, as well as sea marine life, such as temperature changes,
and less expensive. Another reason acidifi cation. sea acidifi cation, overfi shing, and marine
debris.

“Given the importance the ocean has for
food, health, energy, the environment and
climate, the ocean space is astonishingly
under-explored,” says Jan Gunnar Winter,
Norwegian Polar Institute director. “The
world needs a large-scale knowledge
acquisition in order to ensure a sustainable
development securing both usage and
protection.”

WWF Norway president Nina Jensen
and Aker billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke
have partnered on a new research
and expedition vessel REV that will
study marine challenges.
© WWF Norway

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