Fraserburgh Harbour in Scotland have committed to cleaner and greener technology by investing in a new all electric trash skimmer.
Ports and Harbours play a key role in intercepting litter and pollution found in our rivers before it enters to sea and provide a strategic opportunity to turn off the tap of plastic waste into the oceans.
Named ‘Corbie’ the trash skimmer facilitates not only keeping the marine environment free of surface debris, but also offering more effective and efficient harbour operations and supporting the continued decarbonisation of Fraserburgh’s Harbour operations.
Importantly, the introduction of Corbie (named after one of the Houses at Fraserburgh Academy) is also a great opportunity for us to teach local school children of all ages about the effects of marine litter – and we had great fun working with the Academy when it came to proposing the vessel’s name!
Key goals
- The trash skimmer allows the harbour staff to carry out clean up operations more effectively and efficiently, making a difficult job easy, freeing up personnel and allowing them to be more productive.
- Engage in the local community to demonstrate the importance of the blue economy and awareness of issue of marine litter.
- Allow the Harbour to meet it’s decarbonisation goals.
- Removed a lot of the physical aspect of retriving marine litter and plastics, for faster and safer operations.
Sustainably Built
The aluminium ‘VersiCat’ vessel is sustainably built from up to 75% recycled content and the hulls are 100% recyclable at the end of it’s life cycle (unlike fiberglass boats which also add to water pollution) and she is equipped with a 12-kilowatt motor from on-water electric mobility leaders Torqeedo allows her to make 6.9 knots. The motor is powered by the most up to date and safest ‘intelligent’ Power48 lithium batteries on the market. The vessel’s electric controls feature a built-in GPS, an on-board computer and display for information such as speed and input power, state of charge and remaining range, and even an advance communication system that links user’s Bluetooth and App technology to the complete system. The VersiCat is almost silent as it glides through the water. The running time on a twin battery set up is 6-8 hours on a single charge.
Jackie Caddick, Director of Water Witch, says there has been a huge increase in interest for all electric vessels, with some existing owners even looking to upgrade their current vessels to reduce their overall environmental impact. With over 90 of these vessels currently in service world-wide, we expect to see an increasing demand for the zero-emission option with clients looking to improve their carbon footprint and environmental impact.”
Electric propulsion is advancing fast, and by concentrating on building 100% electric systems (not just the motor but all on-board equipment) and from environmentally friendly, sustainable materials, we are able to offer a unique design that is a world first.
We are seeing more and more clients working towards net-zero emissions by 2030, so electric propulsion is essential if they are to meet that target.
Unlike the distinctive hum heard from traditional diesel boats, the VersiCat is almost silent as it glides through the water.
The Scottish Government‘s Marine Directorate provided Fraserburgh Harbour with the funding to revolutionise marine litter collection.
An estimated 19 to 23 million metric tonnes of plastic waste enter aquatic ecosystems (rivers, lakes and the seas) every year globally.
Find out more about Water Witch
#marinelitter
#plasticpollution
#trashskimmer
#net-zero
#zero-emissions
#Fraserburgh
#harbour
#marinescotland
#decarbonisation