MOBULA 8 launches in Bali
Indonesia
Mobula
21 March 2023
After 6 months of intense preparatory work, our 1st aquatic de-pollution campaign in Indonesia is finally starting.
The kick-off was given during the official inauguration ceremony of the very first
MOBULA 8 on Monday, March 20, at the marina in the port of Benoa, Bali.
And the task ahead looks immense: the Indonesian island has no less than 372 rivers that carry 33,000 tons of plastic waste every year!
“I created The SeaCleaners because I wanted to have a visible positive impact on the oceans, I wanted to clean up all the waste I encountered during my expeditions at sea. And today, we are there, we are acting on the ground, we are going to prevent waste from polluting the ecosystems in the long term”. Yvan Bourgnon, President and Founder of The SeaCleaners, did not hide his pride and emotion during the official inauguration ceremony of the MOBULA 8 in the marina of the port of Benoa, on the island of Bali.
For the occasion, a hundred or so partners had come to wish our cleanup boat good luck (and good fortune!).
In the first row, were Pak Made Teja, representative of the Government of Bali and the Ministry of Environment, and Pak Helyus Komar, Deputy of Maritime Safety and Resilience of the Republic of Indonesia, who warmly thanked The SeaCleaners for participating in the efforts of the Indonesian government and local associations, companies and public authorities to drastically reduce plastic pollution in the archipelago.
The substitute French Ambassador to Indonesia Laurent LEGODEC (chargé d’affaires) welcomed the beginning of a project that illustrates the strength of the bilateral partnership between France and Indonesia to preserve marine spaces.
Many representatives of local administrations (port authorities, transport, marine and fisheries, forestry and environment…) were present, as well as those of the Province of Bali and the City of Denpasar. Among the other guests, we would like to thank for their presence: the official importer of the boat BALI MARINE SERVICES and Bali FiberGlass; our partners in the field for the awareness operations ROTARY D 3420; the French diplomatic and consular representatives (Embassy, French Institute and Alliance française); the French-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry; our partners in the field of the NGOs Gili Eco Trust and Peduli Alam, the builder of the MOBULA 8 EFINOR SEA CLEANER; as well as our many associative and local industrial partners.
Whats next for the Mobula 8
Born in Paimpol, tested in Paris, the MOBULA 8 will operate 5 days a week and 7 hours a day to clean up the waste that flows daily into the rivers, inland waters, bays and mangroves in the Denpasar Region and in Benoa Bay, where several clean-up sites have been identified. At cruising speed, it will be able to clean the equivalent of 10 soccer fields per day. Waste will be sorted on board, stored and transported to local waste and recycling partner companies.
The MOBULA 8’s full working season will begin in April, at the end of the rainy season, when the waste, which has spilled into the rivers, flows into Benoa.
The MOBULA 8 will also be carrying out several scientific missions, which we will discuss with you shortly.
Know more about our onshore and offshore operations and our partners in Indonesia
➡️ MAPP kit
To find out all about the MOBULA 8:
➡️ Press kit
A big THANK YOU to our teams on site who have been working hard for months to make this start of operations possible: bravo Antoine, Ketut, Elise, Alice, Gwenaëlle, Stéphanie, Eric and Priska!
MOBULA 8 JOURNEY IN PICTURES
October 13, 2022: the big departure for Indonesia
The Mobula 8 leaves the port of Le Havre on board the container ship MSC Laurence and heads for Indonesia.
December 1 to 7: Arrival of the Mobula 8 in Surabaya
Customs inspection of the ship and clearance in record time!
December 9: Arrival in Bali
Dry-docking at our partner BALI FIBERGLASS, which hosts the MOBULA 8’s trailer and manages the boat’s maintenance. THE SEACLEANERS establishes its offices nearby with the support of BALI MARINE SERVICES and INDONUSA Marine.
➡️ Read article
January 2023: technical visits and administrative authorizations
➡️ “Meet the crew”
February 8, 2023: Traditional Balinese ceremony Tri Hita Krana
A ritual not to be missed in Bali, where spirituality is very strong, which allows to unite the domains of spirits, men and nature. A blessing was asked to the god of the oceans Dewa Baruna, the mother of the South Seas Nyai Loro Kidul and the most powerful Javanese spirits.
February 17, 2023: Launching and testing in Benoa Port marina
February 22, 2023: Crew Training
Captain Linda and our operator Pak Herman begin training on the MOBULA 8, along with The SeaCleaners team Antoine and Ketut and EFINOR Sea Cleaner trainer Yann.
March 10, 2023: Ministerial visit by Luhut Binsar Panjaitan
The SeaCleaners and Kemenkomarves (the Indonesian name for the Ministry of Maritime Sovereignty and Energy coordinating maritime affairs and investment of the Republic of Indonesia) are cooperating under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July 2022, as part of the national anti-pollution strategy to reduce marine litter.
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