Past success paving the way for Coldplay-sponsored recycling watercraft

BRITISH band Coldplay recently announced that it is helping rejuvenate Malaysian rivers by stopping garbage from reaching the ocean with the Interceptor 005, a machine built by Dutch non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup.

In a statement, The Ocean Cleanup of Netherlands and Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd said they are excited that there will be a second Interceptor sponsored by Coldplay in Malaysia. 

“The decision on the optimal location where to place this river cleaning device is still under investigation by The Ocean Cleanup and relevant Malaysian parties and is expected to be communicated soon."

The Ocean Cleanup's decision to install Interceptor 005 in Malaysia is largely based on the success of the relationships and the network built up around the deployment and operations of Interceptor 002, which has been placed in the Klang River since October 2019, as part of the Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) river management solution. 

"The cleaning of Klang River, however, has been ongoing since 2016 and stepped up in 2018 with the initiation of the SMG project that is looking at cleaning the river in order to drive a new riverine economy for Selangor and this initiative has made a noticeable difference in the water quality and cleanliness of the river, thanks to the joint effort by the state government, local agencies as well as local and international NGOs,” said of Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin.

"The Ocean Cleanup's collaboration with the Selangor State government via Interceptor 002, which is managed by LLSB, has proved to be able to pull over 30MT of trash a month. The Interceptor 002 complements the seven log booms placed along 56km of river between Mid Valley and the river mouth in Port Klang, that together catch a total of 900MT of trash a month," Syaiful said.

“The close cooperation we experienced in Malaysia, and specifically in Selangor, has been very much appreciated. The deployment and testing phase with Interceptor 002 in Klang River has been a very relevant contribution in the progress we are making in the validation of our program, and our preparations for the scale-up towards our ambition of tackling 1000 rivers around the world in five years,” said The Ocean Cleanup director rivers Ewout Eelkman Rooda. 

“Building on our good experiences in Klang, we are looking forward to expand our operations, starting with Interceptor 005 in the second half of the year, and considerably increase the contribution of our technological solutions towards cleaner surface waters nationwide,” said Rooda.

 LLSB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) and is mandated by the Selangor State Government to manage Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG), which covers the cleaning, rehabilitation, and revival of 56km of Klang River from Mid Valley to the river mouth in Port Klang. – The Vibes, April 7, 2021