The logistics capability of Dutch non-profit organisation, The Ocean Cleanup, has been ramped up thanks to a deal just signed with Maersk.
While the company already provides marine offshore support to rid the oceans of plastic, it will now also provide end-to-end supply chain management services for both ocean and river clean-up systems.
The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic by stopping the inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. Its ultimate goal is reaching a 90% reduction of floating ocean plastic by 2040.
The end-to-end handling services provided by Maersk range from worldwide shipment from different locations to airfreight, container and special transport, customs clearance, and warehouse and storage management.
“We will have a transport and supply chain manager fully embedded in The Ocean Cleanup’s office in Rotterdam. This programme manager will serve as the single channel for them to engage with the full range of Maersk's supply chain and transport services globally and will help the organisation to develop their own supply chain management capacity over time,” says Maersk’s VP corporate communications and sustainability, Mette Refshauge.
As part of the agreement, Maersk will also deploy scientific sensor technology aboard its own fleet to map plastic floating in the oceans and help the organisation gain a better understanding of the severity of the problem they are working to solve.
The Ocean Network has taken a two-pronged approach to achieve its goal. First stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. This plastic will then be used to create durable products and fund continued clean-up. In 2019, the organisation launched the other half of its solution, the Interceptor™, to extract plastic in rivers before it reaches the ocean.
