Waste-collecting ASV to begin operations in November

An autonomous surface vessel (ASV) designed to collect rubbish from the surface of the water will begin operating full-time in November of this year.

Developed by Netherlands-based RanMarine, the 39-kilogram WasteShark recently conducted cleanup operations in Dubai Marina as part of an ongoing testing period that was started in 2016.

The ASV has a waste-collecting capacity of up to 159.6 kilograms, a maximum endurance of 16 hours between battery rechargings, and a laser imaging-based collision avoidance system.

In addition to being able to collect solid rubbish, the WasteShark can separate certain liquid chemicals from seawater as well as gather data on water and air quality.