66m superyacht spearheads new movement combating plastic pollution in the oceans

US-built M/Y Invictus has become the first ever superyacht to have a Seabin installed on board, and the impact is already obvious.

The device has been fitted seamlessly onto the yacht’s transom in a bid to clean up debris nearby while moored at a marina or at anchor. Seabin is looking at signing up more superyachts to help battle plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, and the immediate result from Invictus’ Seabin is powerful evidence of the value.

Peter Ceglinski, CEO of Seabin, commented on LinkedIn, “The [Invictus] team will be cleaning up marinas around the world, and it has been reported that the area behind their boat is noticeably cleaner! Also the superyacht’s waterline is a lot cleaner due to the Seabin capturing floating oil and fuel from the surface of the water.”

As noted by Burgess, Invictus is a 66-metre (217-foot) superyacht able to accommodate up to 12 guests across nine cabins, as well as a staff of up to 18 crew members. Built by Delta Marine in 2013, the luxury vessel also includes myriad water toys, a Jacuzzi, gym facilities and a fully equipped movie theatre. Thanks to twin 2,280hp Caterpillar engines, Invictus can hit a cruising speed of 13.5 knots.

The Seabins – described as the “debris-sucking saviours of the ocean” in a Guardian profile – are floating waste interception devices which can be installed in ‘problem areas’ of marinas, ports, yacht clubs and virtually any body of water with the necessary infrastructure (just a 110/22V outlet) and a calm environment.

A combination of currents, tides and winds draws items towards the Seabin. Water flows in from the surface into a catch bag inside the Seabin, with plastic bags, bottles, disposable cups, straws, microplastics (down to 2mm) and various other pieces of rubbish being caught inside. On board Invictus 3.9kg of floating waste can be caught per day by the Seabin, with nearly 1.5 tons able to be captured annually – the equivalent of 48,000 water bottles. Harmful oils can also be ensnared and stored by the Seabin.

A submersible water pump, capable of displacing up to 25,000 litres per hour, draws the water through the bag to be filtered, with litter and detritus left inside while cleaner water is released back into the surrounding area.

A number of ports and marinas across the world currently feature Seabins, including the likes of Porto Montenegro and Port Adriano – both of which are designated ‘pilot partners’. London’s first Seabin was installed in August.

The Ellen McArthur Foundation predicts that by 2050 plastic will outweigh fish in the world’s oceans – which would cause devastating and potentially irreparable effects to ecosystems and food chains across the globe. If just half of the marinas around the world installed three Seabins, then up to 30 million tonnes of plastic could be eliminated annually.

For more information, visit the The Seabin Project. Sign up to our newsletter to get the best of Yachting Pages delivered direct to your inbox every month.