General

What does it do?
The WasteShark is designed to clear floating waste in water. This waste can be biomass (algae, seaweed or other floating organic matter) or man-made detritus such as any plastic pollution, ropes or debris.  It is buoyant and mobile waste clearing and environmental data collection tool.

What sizes are available?
After many years testing various shapes and sizes, we believe we have found the perfect form to function in its environment. Big enough to make a material impact on the environment but small enough to get into those tight places where plastic and waste often ends up.

What is it made of?
We use high quality composite fiber to ensure a robust product that looks elegant and sleek in the water.

How heavy is it? Will it damage my boat?
The WasteShark™ is deliberately designed to present negligible damage risk to boats. It has a tare weight of 85kg (187lb.) with a non-abrasive hull and a grey rubber rim on the outer edge to prevent scraping and marking.

Autonomy

Does it crash into things?
No, the autonomous versions have LiDAR and a set path missions that are set to avoid both static and moving objects in the water; with RF controlled versions operators always have line-of-sight of the vessel and potential collisions. It should be noted that WasteShark™ is not a fast-moving vessel. While collisions under operator supervision may occur there would rarely be a case where damage would cause either to the WasteShark™ or the object impacted would be damaged. All WasteShark™ models are built with a protective rubber mounting and wheels to reduce any impact.

What if the internal guidance systems break down?
The WasteShark has several redundancies. Should the WasteShark™ lose communications briefly it will continue its guided path. If the WasteShark™ continues to not receive communication, it will finish its set route and return to its home/launch point.

Debris Collection

Why drones? Surely there are lots of these types of initiatives?
There are a number of initiatives that do an amazing job at cleaning up water all around the globe; however it’s not enough, if it was we would not have the pollution problem we have. We focus at what we call “at source”; our belief is that if you focus on where the majority of the plastic is coming from then we will start to strangle the feed that ends up in our oceans. Much like you vacuum continuously to clean your house of dust before it builds up, we want to efficiently and continuously “vacuum” our water, so a build-up of plastics never actually occurs.

What waste does it clear?
Depending on configuration, plastics, and micro-plastic (to 3mm), general trash, oils (using oil socks) and invasive surface plants and blooming biomass/algae.

How much garbage can it carry?
Maximum storage capacity is 160 liters (42 gallons) with a buoyancy rating of 400 kg (882lbs).

What does it do with the garbage it collects?
The WasteShark™ will carry the garbage to shore or to the SharkSlider. From there it is up to human operators to remove and dispose of the waste. Currently in development is a SharkPod docking station, which will provide a space for automated offload of the WasteShark payload, and storage of multiple payloads. The docking station can then be emptied as needed.

What about the gyres plastic and islands?
There are amazing projects and ideas happening right now to start dealing with this massive problem. RanMarine Technology is focussing at ‘source’. To prevent the trash moving into the gyres.

Operations

How does it work?
We have two options for deployment. Autonomous (defined waypoint path) or Manual (remote control by operator with handheld control unit). Communications are handled via 4G links (SIM and data supplied on purchase) to facilitate a quick and easy setup for our users.

How do I get it in and out of the water?
The WasteShark™ is designed to be simple and easy to use. Depending on the water you are entering, the WasteShark™ can be carried (boat slipways and graduating grass banks), lifted by small cranes or by using RanMarine’s SharkSlider. The SharkSlider is purpose built to be able to launch the WasteShark™ from high quaysides up to 6 meters (20ft) or points of entry where launching requires more specialized but mobile equipment.

How quickly can it turn? Can it move between boats?
The WasteShark™ can turn “on the spot” on its own axis. Depending on configurations of quaysides and mooring the vessel can fit between boats. Dimensions of the WasteShark™ are L1570mmxW1090mmxH520mm with a draft of 200mm (5ft x 3,5ft x 1,7ft – Draft 7,8inches)

How fast can it go?
Cruising speed is 3km per hour or 1.6 knots (1.86 mph). This will naturally drop as debris is collected and the drone picks up payload weight

Where is it most effective?
The WasteShark™ is designed for inland waters – ports, harbors, canals, marinas, residential developments, lakes, reservoirs, slow moving rivers. It is most effective in calm waters but easily operates in conditions with wind and small to medium bow waves.

How far can it go?
Manual: We recommend the operator always be in line of sight of the vessel. The mode does allow for up to a kilometer (and more) of control but at this point there is no visual control for the operator and would comprise safety.
Autonomous: There is no limit to range apart from battery power, however within RanMarine’s customer portal limits and guided paths are set to make sure that the WasteShark™ only operates in designated and safe areas.

How does the WasteShark communicate with / connect to its human operator?
Manual: RC frequency is used between the operators handheld control unit.
Autonomous: GPS routes chosen and set by the operator in the customer portal are sent to the WasteShark™ via 4G data communication. These routes can be interchanged via the portal and the WasteSharks™ progress monitored in real time.

What if my WasteShark is faulty when I unpack it? What if it breaks down at work?
The WasteShark is built using maritime- grade materials, and we have a rigorous quality control process built into our production system. We are absolutely committed to delivering the best possible product to customers so, if you detect a problem, contact us without hesitation and we’ll work closely with you to identify and resolve the problem. We also commit to help in the upkeep and maintenance of our drones, as set out in our terms and conditions of purchase.

How many WasteShark drones do I need?
This depends primarily on the surface area of water being waste-managed, the length of shoreline, and the expected volume of waste for collection. Other factors to consider include prevailing water currents, how/when/where the waste typically reaches the water, whether there is a peculiar or unique aspect to the shoreline, economic exigency (e.g. the cost of lost port hours) and the likelihood and impact of waste surges (e.g.from storm water flooding). We are happy to work with you to compute your particular needs.

Do I need any special training to operate it?
The WasteShark is designed to be simple to deploy and simple to use. Full training on both manual and autonomous model WasteSharks™ is given on purchase and all customers are supplied with related material to the WasteSharks™ operation.

What data does it collect?
When fitted for data capture the WasteShark and DataShark focus on water quality health data. Some examples of what our clients measure are oxygen, nitrogen, turbidity, and temperature, along with PH levels and nutrient levels. We have a complete suite of Eureka Sensors that can be fitted to our platforms.

Power Source

What if it runs out of battery?
Depending on your WasteShark™ setup (Manual or Autonomy) the operator will be notified of a low battery onboard and will need to bring the WasteShark™ back to shore. In Autonomy mode the WasteSharks™ onboard telemetry will be alerted to the need to return to the launch “home” point. At the same time an alert will also be sent to your portal to notify you of the WasteSharks™ return and need for recharging.  The WasteSharks™ “return to home” feature also activates if its basket is full and follows the same process.

How do I recharge the battery? How long does this take?
The WasteShark battery is recharged through AC mains supply (charger and connector cables supplied). Normal full recharge period is 5 hours, with 80% capacity usually achieved in 2.5 hours.

Do I need to buy an adaptor to connect the charger to my AC mains supply?
We’ll put the necessary plug head on your charger for you. (As long as you tell us which country/territory your WasteShark drones will be swimming in.)

Why does the WasteShark even have a battery? Why not solar?
This is a question of design and functionality. At present solar paneling would add too much weight to the drone, thus reducing its effectiveness and capability.

How long does the battery last?
The battery array will provide 10 hours of continuous use in autonomous mode with 5 to 6 hours of use when in manual mode. Humans tend to go as fast as possible whereas in autonomous mode the computer manages the routes more carefully. The batteries we use have a 1500 cycle-life which should translate to 5 years of normal use before needing to be replaced or serviced.

Safety

Can it hurt animals or birdlife?
No. Animals and birdlife in the water tend to treat the WasteShark™ as any other vessel on the surface and naturally swim away. Due to the speed of the WasteShark™ animals can easily out- swim the drone. There is nothing in the drone that can trap, harm or disable an animal.

Does it pollute the environment?
No. WasteShark produces zero carbon or greenhouse emissions when underway. It’s 10-hour battery life can be connected to solar powered charging (customer dependent and supplied) which further reduces the impact on the environment.