Clearing the water every witch way

It is estimated that a staggering 6.4 million tons of rubbish reach the marine environment every year (United Nations Environment Programme) and that there are currently 46,000 pieces of litter floating on every square mile of ocean.

Marine debris originates from many sources including inland urban storm drain systems, littering, sewage plants, abandoned fishing gear or garbage from shipping and recreational boats.

The nature of trash has changed over the last 30 years because of the huge increase in the use of synthetic materials such as plastic. Plastic degrades slowly in water. As a result of its durability and the increase of single use plastics, the quantity of marine debris is increasing significantly. The accumulation and wide dispersal of plastics in our marine environment is a global concern.

Failure to properly manage the problems of marine debris can compromise ecological integrity, threaten the marine ecosystem and cost jobs and revenue.

Preventing trash and debris from entering our waterways and oceans can be resolved only with multi-disciplinary approaches focusing on waste management and public education programmes. However, specialist workboats designed to efficiently retrieve marine debris contribute immediately to a solution.

Specialist UK boatbuilders Water Witch design a range of innovative workboats offering a safe and reliable clean-up system with the ability to pick up all types and sizes of floating and submerged debris. These versatile boats are also capable of tackling other waterway management issues such as removing invasive aquatic vegetation and tackling oil spills.

Water Witch Workboats have proven an effective tool in the fight against marine debris and have been at the forefront of marine clean-up programs throughout the world, with over 100 specialist craft in operation.

Building in both steel and aluminium, Water Witch offer a unique range of road transportable vessels with multi-purpose capabilities to match client’s exact operational requirements.

One recent Water Witch customer is the Port of Sandefjord in Southern Norway. The boat has been busy cleaning during the summer and the Harbour Master, Bjornar Christiansen, said that it was doing a super job collecting all the unsightly marine debris, including seaweed and algae.

A key concern for the harbour, now a thriving cruise and sailing destination, is to enhance the recreational and visitor satisfaction of the waterway, and the acquisition of this clean-up boat is making a significant contribution to achieving this objective.