Harbours

Harbours

Commercial and smaller fishing harbours are prone to the leaking of plastic waste into the greater sea and oceans. Often exposed to tidal ranges due to their proximity to the coast, waste is regularly removed from harbour waters on the outgoing tide.

Debris that accumulates on the quayside of a harbour such as old or cut nets, garbage from the ships themselves or just tourists improperly disposing of waste, ends up in the water very quickly. With no barrier between the quayside and the water, even small gusts of wind push waste into water if not properly managed. While many larger harbours deal with waste disposal efficiently, smaller and less regulated ones are unable or are not motivated to do so.

Harbours as tourist attraction

Waterfronts that are used as commercial tourist attractions around harbours see a higher volume of foot traffic in the summer months often bringing with it a greater amount of waste such as food takeaway wrapping and plastics. Such areas while built to draw the tourists in, require extra water and waste maintenance over these periods.

WasteShark for debris removal

Attempts to clean these smaller harbours are also hampered by space. Water flow in harbours is often limited and debris accumulates in hard-to-reach areas and cannot be cleaned efficiently using traditional methods. The WasteShark can navigate in these narrow spaces to ensure harbours are cleaned effectively and waste does not contaminate the aquatic ecosystem.

Data is gathered to measure a number of variables relevant to water health and quality, which is then sent back in real time to operators.