INNOVATIVE VESSEL FOR CLEANING-UP ACTIVITIES IN MARINE AND FLUVIAL ENVIRONMENTS

Project Information

OC-TECH

Grant agreement ID: 783773

DOI

10.3030/783773

Project closed

EC signature date 1 December 2017

Start date 1 January 2018

End date 31 December 2019

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 2 405 116,25

EU contribution

€ 1 683 581,00

Coordinated by

TINCASUR SUR SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - OC-TECH (INNOVATIVE VESSEL FOR CLEANING-UP ACTIVITIES IN MARINE AND FLUVIAL ENVIRONMENTS)

Reporting period: 2019-01-01 to 2019-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

OC-Tech is an ambitious innovation project to develop a multitask catamaran-vessel comprised by different cleaning systems to collect and manage various floating wastes within water bodies, such as hydrocarbons, oils, flotsam, algae, microalgae, microplastics, solid bulky waste, etc. The main benefits of OC-Tech are: (1) Polyvalence and multi-purpose: water cleaning-ship for several types of wastes, and work-ship for other port-related operations, thanks to a broad deck to develop activities such as prospecting, diving, environmental monitoring, beaconing, off-shore assistance, fire protection or port services and cleaning. (2) Efficiency: highly effectiveness in waste collection and separation; up to 70%-80% hydrocarbon separation without emulsion creation, which avoids extra effort in splitting water and hydrocarbons. (3) Easy operation: the cleaning system working in a continuous way avoids the need to return to the port to discharge wastes, leading to fuel and work-hours savings. (4) Profitability: it is expected a cumulative revenue of 21.55 M€ and a cumulative profit of 10.36 M€ by 2023.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first period of OC-Tech project, the cleaning systems and the overall vessel structure have been redesigned and adapted to achieve a competitive vessel, integrating specific elements, equipment and features to respond to market and environmental needs. During the design stage, a comprehensive testing program has been implemented, developing simulations and numerous trials under laboratory and real conditions. Once the desired performance results were achieved, for each cleaning system and for the entire integrated system, the manufacturing process has been started, after previously obtaining all required authorisations and certifications for the vessel construction and operation. Likewise, first communication and dissemination activities have been developed and published on the project website.
During the second period of the OC-TECH project, the capacity of the OC-Tech system for the cleaning of any ocean and marine spillage and floating waste has now been confirmed and the first sale of the OC-Tech multitask vessel product was achieved at the end of 2018 through a public tender from the Government of the Canary Islands. Furthermore, the two OC-Tech multitask vessels have been completed and delivered during the summer of 2019 to our first client, the Canary Islands Government. In addition, the completion and public presentation of the multitask OC-Tech Horizon vessel, which began its promotion as a working vessel studying the Asian invasive algae in the Natural Park of the Strait in Cadiz, Spain, has been successfully achieved and these important achievements of the project, have been properly disseminated as part of the project Dissemination & Communication Plan.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Overall, the results of the OC-Tech project, after upgrading the cleaning systems and further developing the dissemination and communication activities, have been positive and encouraging. The effectiveness of the cleaning performance of the final OC-Tech (TRL-9) vessel has been proved, particularly during the tests carried out under real conditions in Tenerife Island. Particularly, it is worth to mention the good cleaning performance demonstrated during the tests developed using a laboratory-ship under real conditions. The most outstanding successes of OC-Tech Project H-2020 Phase 2 have been: (1) It has been proved the capacity: to collect a broad type of wastes (oil, hydrocarbons, microplastics, microalgae, bulky waste…); (2) to work in a continuous way to collect any kind of floating waste; (3) to independently collect and separate wastes; (4) to work at high speed (3 knots).
From a commercial and market point of view of the OC-Tech project, it is important to highlight that since the first presentations of the project carried out from January 2018, where the company Ocean Cleaner Technology began to take part in information days and dissemination techniques and communication. The multitask OC-Tech vessel has been widely accepted and welcomed by all members of the public, (people of all ages), including people specifically from all technological, industrial and commercial sectors where we have participated, and in any technological magazine or media where we have been able to introduce ourselves.

Testing activities using the lab-ship (TRL-6)

Dissemination activiteis OC-Tech