The Ocean Cleanup Prepares for Series Production of Interceptor In Malaysia – Partners with MHE-Demag

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December 10, 2020 – The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, and Konecranes, a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses™, announced today that MHE-Demag is the chosen partner to design, manufacture, and service The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor to extract plastic from rivers before entering the ocean. This is an important step as the non-profit organization prepares to tackle the world’s 1000 most polluting rivers.

In Malaysia, 5% of river basins are considered severely polluted and 42% polluted – leaving only 53% classified as ‘clean’[1]. The Ocean Cleanup first introduced the Interceptor in 2019 and piloted one of the first devices in Malaysia last year in the Klang River in a bid to resuscitate the state’s polluted rivers and to clear them of garbage.

Deploying Interceptors on a large scale is necessary to rapidly address the urgent problem of ocean plastic pollution. The Ocean Cleanup is partnering with MHE-Demag, a Konecranes company, because of their expertise and worldwide footprint. Laying the groundwork for global scaleup, Interceptors 005 and 006 are currently being manufactured simultaneously at MHE-Demag’s facility in Klang, Malaysia and are expected to be completed in May 2021. Moving forward, MHE-Demag will handle Interceptor manufacturing, installation, and maintenance; local partners will oversee operations, and The Ocean Cleanup will continue to act as the technology and best practices provider as well as lead business development for upcoming Interceptor projects.

Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat remarked on this new partnership by saying, “At the end of a very challenging year, I am happy to see series production begin for the Interceptor. This is a necessary step for us to tackle the global flow of plastic pollution to our oceans at scale. I believe Konecranes is well-suited for the job and I look forward to seeing them build many more Interceptors in the coming years. I am thankful for their commitment to clean oceans.”

Karl Tilkorn, Senior Vice President, Industrial Cranes and Products, Asia Pacific said, “For 48 years, MHE-Demag has built our brand through outstanding engineering capabilities with the best people in the industry. Our abilities to design and manufacture engineered or customised solutions have won us many landmark projects in the region, and we are servicing these projects until today. We are proud to collaborate with The Ocean Cleanup on the design and manufacturing of the Interceptor, in order to help the good cause of addressing river pollution across the globe.”

Konecranes is renowned for its market-leading technology and service in material handling and lifting products. Its engineering and design expertise, along with its global service network, will enable the company to assemble and install Interceptors around the world. Through this global footprint, helped especially by the design and manufacturing strengths of MHE-Demag, Konecranes can service and maintain Interceptors throughout their lifetime.

The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor was unveiled in late 2019 and there are currently three deployed in Klang, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A fourth Interceptor, in Vietnam, has been delayed for deployment and is expected to be launched early in 2021. Over the last year and a half, The Ocean Cleanup has used the insights from these pilot systems to understand and further develop the technology for more efficient mass production. These upgrades include changes to the conveyor, shuttle, dumpsters, and barge. Working together with MHE-Demag, these changes have been incorporated into the 3rd generation design, which is the blueprint for the Interceptors being manufactured in 2020 and 2021.

[1] Global Environment Centre Malaysia – River Care programme

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ABOUT THE OCEAN CLEANUP

The Ocean Cleanup develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal by taking a two-pronged approach: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup is developing large scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic will then be used to create durable products and fund continued cleanup, making cleanup itself circular. In 2019, the organization launched the other half to their solution, the Interceptor, to extract plastic in rivers before reaching the ocean. 

Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs approximately 95 engineers and researchers. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

ABOUT KONECRANES

Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses™, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity enhancing lifting solutions as well as services for lifting equipment of all makes. In 2019, Group sales totaled EUR 3.33 billion. Including MHE-Demag, the Group has around 17,000 employees in 50 countries. Konecranes shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki (symbol: KCR).

Konecranes acquired Demag Cranes & Components in 2017 and fully acquired MHE-Demag in January 2020.

ABOUT MHE-DEMAG

Established in 1972 and is based in Singapore, MHE-Demag has 11 factories and more than 70 service locations throughout Southeast Asia, including the largest crane manufacturing plant in the region, in Bukit Raja, Malaysia.

MHE-Demag supplies Konecranes, Demag and MHE branded industrial cranes and hoists, warehousing equipment such as lift trucks and dock levellers, aerial work platforms, building maintenance units for safe working at heights, compact construction equipment, as well as automated car parking systems. Our customised solutions serve a wide range of industries and customers from general manufacturing to aerospace. 

MHE-Demag is the original service provider for Konecranes, Demag and MHE brands of equipment.

We provide specialized maintenance services and spare parts for all types and makes of overhead cranes, hoists and industrial products.

Press Contacts for The Ocean Cleanup
CFF Communications, Amsterdam
Niels Broekhof
E: press@theoceancleanup.com
T: +31 (0)6 30 37 49 30

U.S. Media Representative
Alan Dunton, San Francisco
E: adunton@shiftcomm.com
T: 415-290-8219

Press Contacts for Konecranes
Brett Young
Communications Manager
Email: brett.young@konecranes.com or phone: +358 40 140 5801
media@konecranes.com

Press Contacts for MHE-Demag
Mei Huang Loh
Marketing, Industrial Cranes & Products, Asia Pacific
Meihuang.loh@mhe-demag.com
+60125270221