HiveX – a forward-looking project for the removal of plastic waste in rivers and oceans

In the course of its more than 115-year history, the traditional shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen has always been prepared to go new ways and to get involved outside its traditional fields of activity. So, no one was surprised when the trainees got involved with a forward-looking project.

Through a TV appearance in 2019, Toralf Zimmermann (Head of Research, Development and Innovation at A&R) became aware of the then association Pacific Garbage Screening. At that time, no one could have imagined that this would develop into a long-term and trusting cooperation. The association, now renamed everwave community, and the associated social startup, everwave GmbH, have declared war on plastic waste in rivers and oceans. “Every year, more than 12 million tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans. We, the people, are responsible for this. Through our behaviors and consumption, we ingest tens of thousands of plastic particles per year, including through our food, clothing and hygiene products. This in turn can have an impact on our health. Our oceans are extremely polluted by almost invisible mountains of waste. This plastic waste threatens biodiversity and the lives of all marine life. The food chains and habitats of animals are being massively disrupted,” says Dr Tilman Flöhr, CTO at everwave.

In order to protect the oceans from the masses of waste, everwave starts with the rivers, the main entry paths for plastic. For this purpose, a stationary platform system was developed that continuously collects the plastic waste in an environmentally friendly way in order to recycle it afterwards. This is where Abeking & Rasmussen came in. Toralf Zimmermann remembers: “The commitment and enthusiasm for their cause made a lasting impression on me. However, there were some challenges to be overcome in terms of shipbuilding that did not necessarily correspond to the classic tasks of our designers.” Solutions were quickly found. In cooperation with the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management at RWTH Aachen University, the functionality of two primotype test series was tested in the laboratory. These findings formed the basis for the realization of the first prototype.

This prototype was built by the trainees of Abeking & Rasmussen. The training department of A&R, which has just been awarded TOP trainer by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for the umpteenth time – approx. 10% of the staff are trainees and have been for many years – became the construction site. Here, the buoyancy bodies were welded and the entire platform was assembled. For Helge Ziems-Gillerke, head of the A&R training department, this project was an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to the environment together with the shipyard’s junior staff. “Seeing the finished platform in the Weser and experiencing that the concept works was the absolute highlight for the trainees.”

The platform now has a name: HiveX.
HiveX is everwave’s stationary system and can collect plastic waste continuously, energy-efficiently and environmentally friendly. The platform is capable of collecting up to 5 tons of plastic per day and is designed so that fish can swim through it unhindered. Thanks to its modular system, it can be adapted to local conditions and dsigned in combination with other modules.

The prototype is already in use under real conditions. In Italy, near Padua, the platform is helping to reduce the discharge of plastic waste into the Gulf of Venice. The cooperation between Abeking & Rasmussen and everwave is far from over. A catamaran for the active collection of plastic waste is in the construction phase. This is also to be built by the trainees. “We are very proud that we can help to free our rivers and oceans from plastic waste,” says Toralf Zimmermann.