Le Manta

A giant catamaran making an assault on pollution

SeaCleaners and the Manta project were born out of a sailor's experience, that of Yvan Bourgnon. Like many offshore racers, he had been a victim of collisions with UFOs (unidentified floating objects). But it was more particularly during his single-handed circumnavigation of the world on a sports catamaran that he was seeing places he remembered as being wild and paradise-like, that had become veritable open-air garbage dumps. It just clicked – he had to act and start cleaning up the seas.

Le Manta

1 / 6

Published 26/01/2021

By Emmanuel van Deth

Issue: 175

Published: jan. / feb. 2021

Discover this issue

The result of three years of research and development, the Manta is a giant catamaran, the first factory boat capable of collecting and recycling large quantities of floating plastic macro-waste at sea. With a waste collection and treatment capacity of 1 to 3 tons per hour, the Manta's objective is to rid the oceans of 5,000 to 10,000 tons of plastic waste per year. Its biomimetic design, innovative hybrid propulsion system and power supply from renewable energy sources will enable the Manta to operate 75% of the time autonomously, without using fossil fuels, with a minimal environmental footprint. The Manta is scheduled for launch in 2024.

Technical specifications:

Length: 185’ (56.5 m)

Beam: 85’ (26 m)

Draft: 10’ (3.1 m)

Air draft: 205’ (62.5 m)

Light displacement: 1,600 t

Laden Displacement: 1,900 t

Sail area: 16,150 sq ft (1,500 m²)

Average speed: 6 knots

Max speed: 12 knots

Range: 3,500 nm

Number of people on board: 34