Interceptor 003 handover ceremony

The Ocean Cleanup (TOC), a Dutch non-governmental organization has handed over the Interceptor 003 to Can Tho City Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Announced in 2019, the Interceptor system is the first technology-based solution with a wide range of capabilities to prevent river waste from entering the ocean. This solar-powered machine can collect up to 50,000 kg of trash in the river every day. After years of planning, the Interceptor 003 (aka René) river cleaning system was launched on the Can Tho River for testing in the end of 2021.

At the ceremony, the representative of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr. Tran Phong - Director of the Southern Environmental Protection Department - sent congratulations on the occasion of the Interceptor 003 officially went into operation in the Can Tho River, while emphasizing the key role of technology and multilateral cooperation in solving the problem of plastic pollution in rivers and oceans.

To mark the event that the Interceptor 003 system officially went into operation, Mr. Boyan Slat handed over the remote control of this system to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Can Tho, which is the organization to continue to be responsible for operating the system in the future.

Following the recognition of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on the project, Mr. Duong Tan Hien – Standing Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee highly appreciated the cooperation of The Ocean Cleanup, Coca-Cola Company and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for their efforts to realize the project, bring benefits to the local community and help clean up the lifeline river of Can Tho city through the system of Interceptor 003.

The Ocean Cleanup CEO and founder, Mr. Boyan Slat, shared his vision and mission to clean up ocean plastic waste, which includes stopping the waste from entering the ocean from rivers. "The Ocean Cleanup's mission is to eliminate plastic waste in the oceans, and I am delighted to see the initial results of the project in such a unique area as the Mekong Delta. Can Tho River project is the result of many years of efforts of local partners and The Ocean Cleanup."