Porrima visiting Dubai

Plastics are now found everywhere, from the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench, to the placenta of a pregnant woman. Plastic pollution is changing life on Earth as we know it. The first report on microplastics polluting the oceans was published in the journal Nature in 1972. For over half a century, we have done nothing but complain. The time has come to move beyond advocacy and take action. Some commendable initiatives have been undertaken to remove plastics from the surface of the oceans and beaches, but we need to see tangible results. We must correct our past mistakes. As innovators, we know that this is only sustainable if there is a competitive business model.

The fact is, we seem to have no control over the dispersion of plastics. However, we can solve this problem using a technology inspired by how our lungs use microfluidics to remove CO2—and nothing else—from our blood. We have developed a technology that isolates and concentrates nanoplastics using only ocean water. The very first installation of this kind will be operational on the PORRIMA by March 2023. It will have the same capacity as our lungs to remove carbon dioxide from our blood, and we plan to process 1,000 liters of seawater per second, or 86,400 tons per day. Our goal is to visit ports around the Mediterranean and install 1,000 of these units to launch a large-scale cleanup campaign. We will then travel to ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to share information about the business model behind this revolutionary method. The cleanup of our oceans is long overdue, and we now have the technology to achieve it.

Developing the talent of "sea astronauts" and common good entrepreneurs

We learned two key lessons: Deploying innovations requires talent development and the capacity for industrialization. Our goal is to introduce 500 young (in age or spirit) and dedicated individuals from around the world to the innovations and business models that will transform the world, especially for those who live and work along coastlines.

During the PORRIMA's refit in dry dock in Morocco, we will share knowledge about all the pioneering technologies through workshops. Students will be able to discover proven technologies. During the workshops, students will receive information on cutting-edge improvements to innovations and learn how to imagine, design, install, operate, maintain, and repair such installations. We will develop skills to operate smart kites, produce hydrogen from seawater, remove plastics from the ocean floor, fish with bubble curtains… and much more. Each of the 500 enthusiastic change agents will earn the title of "Astronaut of the Sea" for their drive and perseverance in creating their own business and supporting industrial initiatives aimed at accelerating the deployment of innovations that will change the reality for people, communities, and nature.

The fishing industry has practiced, and continues to practice, overfishing and the depletion of fish stocks worldwide.

A team of experts, operating under the name BlueShipYards (Morocco), has designed 20- to 24-meter-long fishing boats that use a combination of solar, hydrogen, and kite power for propulsion. These systems have been tested by PORRIMA. These boats will also be the first in history to deploy the bubble curtain fishing technique. By releasing curtains of air bubbles, fish are trapped in a way that allows for the selective capture of only males. The catch is processed on board, generating ten times more revenue. This allows the fleet to operate competitively, with zero waste and zero emissions. The selective fishing method allows female fish to continue spawning. Our vision is to share this fishing model with coastal communities, in combination with plastic cleanup efforts, as a means of earning a living.

The fishing industry has practiced, and continues to practice, overfishing and the depletion of fish stocks worldwide.

We're looking for a green form of ammonia, and the knowledge gained from PORRIMA allows us to offer the ultimate solution – a blue form of ammonia. The technology involves producing energy using smart kites, which capture energy at altitudes of 200 to 800 meters. The energy is generated by the up-and-down movement (the yo-yo effect) of the kites. The energy produced is used to produce hydrogen on-site. A battery of 1,000 kites can, for example, produce one GW of electricity at disused mining sites, in an area of ​​just 800 hectares. This results in the availability of "zero-kilometer hydrogen" (produced and consumed in the same place). The hydrogen is produced using a new physicochemical process that eliminates the need for desalination, demineralization, and deionization. The reaction produces hydrogen at 350 bar, eliminating the need for compressors. When this hydrogen is converted on-site to produce ammonia, this blue ammonia surpasses all other options in terms of price and sustainability.

If you have the sun, the sea and the wind…

PORRIMA has proven that a small community, with nothing but sun, seawater, and wind at its disposal, can earn a living. Solar energy is a backup solution. The smart kite provides base power 24 hours a day and operates without batteries, as all excess energy is converted into hydrogen on-site. Using only this excess energy, the system produces drinking water as a byproduct, at a fraction of the cost of reverse osmosis. By freeing themselves from water and electricity shortages, local communities have the opportunity to pursue their development, including agriculture, ecosystem restoration, and the regeneration of fishing grounds, with sustainable tourism at the heart of it all.

We have sent a hundred times more rockets into space than probes into the depths of the ocean.

Blue Innovations' catalog will make exploring the seas safer, more enjoyable, and more economically viable. This catalog includes: First , full-face diving masks that allow divers to communicate with each other through light transmission. Second , underwater weather forecasting that enables extremely precise weather monitoring in localized areas. Third , a complete 3D vision system that will allow us to map the ocean. We can measure the exact height of Mount Everest, but we lack the instruments to determine the exact depth of ocean trenches. Currently, only about 20% of the seabed has been mapped in 2D. This new technology will allow us to photograph every corner of the ocean in 3D. Fourth , this technology will utilize the density of water, which multiplies sound transmission by nearly a thousand. This ultra-efficient sound filtration gives us the ability to monitor all activity in the ocean. By using a single frequency, we can focus on a specific sound, for example the heartbeat of a fish, which allows us to estimate its size and weight, or even its sex and age.