Crew Offshore: What It Takes to Clean the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Summary

The transcript captures the experiences of a team working on ocean cleanup missions, highlighting both the challenges and rewards of their work. Crew members describe the physical demands of deployment, tying knots, splicing nets, and sorting collected plastic, alongside the difficulties of long periods at sea and navigating diverse team dynamics. Despite these challenges, they express deep satisfaction in actively removing plastic from the ocean, the excitement of handling innovative cleanup systems, and the personal fulfillment of contributing to a meaningful environmental mission. Their reflections emphasize teamwork, problem-solving, and the dynamic, hands-on nature of the job.

Takeaways

• 🌊 Cleaning the ocean involves significant manual labor, including tying knots, splicing, and mending nets.
• 🪝 Extraction days are the most challenging but also the most rewarding because that's when collected plastic is safely brought on deck.
• ♻️ Sorting collected plastic can be difficult due to unusual items, requiring careful handling and sometimes consultation with others.
• 🌧️ Harsh weather and being away from family for extended periods, like seven weeks, are major challenges for the crew.
• 👥 Working with a diverse team from multiple nationalities demands strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• 📊 Coordinating between offshore crews and multiple office departments requires prioritizing the most important tasks and data collection.
• 🛠️ From an engineering perspective, ocean cleanup is generally manageable, though occasional equipment breakdowns occur.
• 🚤 The dynamic nature of the job, involving both physical activity on deck and work on the bridge, is highly motivating and enjoyable.
• 🙏 Crew members feel privileged and excited to physically participate in removing plastic from the ocean.
• 😊 Ensuring the team remains happy and motivated is a key part of the work culture and personal satisfaction.
• ⚡ Overall, the mission is both physically engaging and mentally rewarding, combining environmental impact with teamwork and skill development.

Q & A

What types of manual labor are involved during deployment and primary operations?

The manual labor includes sitting on deck tying knots, splicing, and mending nets, which are essential for handling the collection equipment.

What are considered the hardest days during the mission?

The hardest days are extraction days, where the crew performs the 'handshake,' collects the bags of plastic, and ensures they are safely brought onto the deck without losing any plastic.

Why is the extraction day also considered the most rewarding?

It is rewarding because that’s when the crew sees the results of their work, with large amounts of plastic collected and secured on deck.

What challenges are associated with sorting collected plastic?

Sorting can be difficult because unusual or unexpected items come in, requiring decisions on how to handle them, which can be challenging for newer crew members.

What makes working on the vessel personally challenging for some crew members?

Challenges include bad weather, being away from family for seven weeks at a time, and only interacting with the same group of people during that period.

How does the role of communication impact the work on the vessel?

Communication is crucial as some crew members act as links between the offshore vessel crew and multiple office departments, coordinating different data, tests, and priorities.

Do crew members find cleaning the ocean itself difficult?

Some crew members, particularly engineers, find the task of cleaning the ocean straightforward, with occasional equipment breakdowns being the main technical challenge.

What aspects of the job do crew members find most rewarding?

Crew members enjoy the dynamic nature of the work, the physical activity involved, the variety of tasks, and the opportunity to work directly with the plastic removal systems.

What personal feelings do crew members express about participating in the mission?

Crew members feel privileged and excited to directly take plastic out of the ocean, seeing it as meaningful and fulfilling work.

How do crew members describe their motivation for joining the project?

Many are motivated by a desire to be part of a dynamic, hands-on mission where they can physically contribute, work in a team environment, and make a tangible environmental impact.

How do crew members handle the challenges of interacting with people from different nationalities?

They emphasize the importance of understanding different cultural perspectives, adapting communication styles, and knowing how to work effectively with diverse teams.