Naval Cleanup Corporation 

Port Hueneme, California 

January 22, 2025 

Project Proposal 

Cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 

​​Table of Contents 

​ Team 2

 Introduction 3

Project Description 5

 Feasibility 5

 Physical Specifications 5

Software 7

Process Description 7

Benefits 9

 Potential Obstacles 10

Timeline and Budget 10

Conclusion 12

 References 13

​​ 

Team 

Aaron Clarin Co-founder of Naval Cleanup Corporation, Chief Financial Officer. Finance, M.B.A 

Kaylan Clarke, Co-founder of Naval Cleanup Corporation, Chief Engineer. Environmental Engineering, M.S. 

Chris Perez, Co-founder of Naval Cleanup Corporation, Chief Operations Manager. Marine Biologist, M.S. 

Jose Reyes, Co-founder of Naval Cleanup Corporation, Public Relations Director. Communications, M.S. 

Introduction 

Plastic ocean pollution is the accumulation of manmade plastics in oceans that damages marine habitat, wildlife, and humans. Plastic is not biodegradable and therefore can persist for hundreds of years as pollution. About 20% of plastic litter is discarded fishing gear, and the remainder comes from land and rivers (Moore, 2017). 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest accumulation of plastic pollution in the world, located in the northern area of the Pacific Ocean. Primarily situated between Hawaii and California, the patch covers over 1.6 million square kilometers and contains 1.8 trillion identified pieces of plastic. The patch is the result of ocean currents called gyres. The gyres collect and guide plastics from coastlines and the Pacific to the central patch where trash accumulates (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.). 

Figure 1. Graphic detailing the GPGP (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.). 

Plastic pollution has countless detrimental effects on our oceans, including the following: 

• Entanglement and ingestion kill well over 100,000 marine animals per year (Mulhern, 2021). 

• Plastics on the surface break down into microplastics and toxic chemicals. These substances are ingested by prey which are then eaten by larger animals. The harmful compounds make their way up the food chain and build up in animals’ bodies (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.). 

• Humans eat animals that have high levels of toxins. This has inadvertently led to an increase in cancer risk (Addressing Priority Toxic Chemicals, 2019). 

Stopping more plastics from entering the ocean is a crucial step, but removing the existing plastics is also important to prevent the aforementioned consequences. Coastal and small island communities are greatly damaged by the GPGP. Communities on the Galapagos Islands and Easter Island are vulnerable to plastic pollution from the GPGP because of their location near gyres. Trash washes up on their shores because of ocean currents, toxins from degraded plastics contaminate their waters, and microplastics contaminate local ecosystems (Borrell, 2018). Because of the small populations of these islands, they do not have the necessary resources to mitigate the constant pollution on their own. 

Figure 2. Plastic waste on an Easter Island beach (Franklin, 2024). 

At this time, Naval Cleanup Corporation is seeking formal partnership and funding from the United States federal government. The goal of the Naval Cleanup Corporation is to gradually remove and eventually eliminate all plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean gyres. We intend to work with the United States federal government to develop our envisioned solution: the Reef Guardian. The Reef Guardian is: 

• A nuclear-powered, AI-assisted submarine that can travel between Port Hueneme and the GPGP to collect and recover plastic pollution.  

• Able to avoid harming marine life by using sonar, heat signatures, and visual detection systems.  

Project Description 

Feasibility 

The Reef Guardian is a type of submarine called a midget submarine. A submarine’s shape is very intentional for safety and optimization purposes. Most modern submarines are built with a cylindrical bow, cylindrical mid-body, and elliptical stern. This design allows for adequate room inside the hull and lower production costs (Chakraborty, 2017). The whale shark is an appropriate model organism for our submarine because its shape is suitable for replication as a submarine. A whale shark’s body is already reminiscent of the cylindrical shape of submarines.  

In terms of size, it lies well within a feasible range. The largest whale sharks only grow to a length of 20 meters, but in order to maximize energy efficiency and garbage capacity, our submarine will be 45 meters long.  

Our vessel will be modeled after the NR-1 midget submarine because of similar shape, size, and energy requirements. The NR-1 submarine confirms that it is possible to power the Reef Guardian using nuclear power, as it contains one nuclear reactor.  

AI is a quickly evolving tool that can be trained to identify and differentiate different objects. With a dataset and powerful hardware, deep learning can be used to train an exceptional model. It is possible to train an AI to analyze various input data like heat signatures, visuals, and sonar to recognize a living organism or a piece of trash. 

A submarine base must be present for the ships to unload their collected trash and receive maintenance and repairs. The first cleaning mission targets the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, so the ideal location for the base is southern California where the Port Hueneme Naval Base already exists. Therefore, part of the partnership with the federal government must include permission to expand upon their docking facilities so there is room for 10 additional submarines.  

Physical Specifications 

The Reef Guardian design is based on the NR-1 submarine. It shares the following specs with the NR-1: 

• A length of 44.4 meters. 

• A beam (width measurement at a submarine’s widest point) of 4.8 meters. 

• A diameter of 3.8 meters. 

• A top speed of 6 knots when submerged and 7 knots when on the surface. 

• The speed is slightly improved from the original NR-1. 

• The endurance (timeframe to be submerged) of 210 days and a maximum of 330 days. 

• Maximum operation depth of 724 meters 

• Small-object recovery hydraulic grabbing claw. It can grab objects weighing up to 226kg with a diameter of up to 35 cm. 

• Displacement, or mass, of approximately 400 long tons (406 metric tons) 

• The engine room occupies approximately 5/8 of the vessel. This leaves about 250 long tons (254 metric tons) of space for garbage. The front portion of the NR-1 submarine accommodates its crew. However, the Reef Guardian does not require a crew, so that area is for garbage collection and storage. 

The following features are included to further mimic the body of a whale shark: 

• Attached metal bodies imitate the two pectoral fins, secondary dorsal fins, and anal fins. The respective sizes are correctly scaled from an actual whale shark. 

• The sail resembles the first dorsal fin. 

• The rudders are shaped to resemble the caudal fin. 

• The entirety of the body is painted with the characteristic spots and stripes present on whale sharks. 

• The front of the submarine has a large hatch that opens like a whale shark’s mouth would. The hatch leads to the inside of the hull where the garbage is collected. 

Approximately 150 crew members are required for regular maintenance work. This includes engineers, software developers, technicians, and contractors.  

Figure 3. Diagram of the NR-1 submarine (Sutton, 2017). 

Figure 4. Diagram of the NR-1 rectractable arm. This will be replicated for our submarine (Submarine NR-1: Nuclear Powered Research and Ocean Engineering Vehicle, 2011). 

Software 

The Reef Guardian has an AI system capable of differentiating trash from ocean life. The AI accepts visual data, high-frequency sonar, and heat signatures as input information to accurately detect living organisms and avoid harming them. It analyses the data to ensure all living organisms are a safe distance from the vessel. Then, it signals for the submarine to open its jaw-like collection system. 

Process Description 

The ideal starting point for the initial fleet of Reef Guardian units is Port Hueneme Naval Base, on the southern coast of California. From the base, they will travel west on the surface of the ocean for about 1,300 km until they reach the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Apon arrival, the AI will scan the area. With heat, sonar, and visual data, it will locate any fish in the vicinity. Once it is determined that all living creatures are a safe distance away, it sends a signal for the vessel to open the hatch and collect garbage. Periodic scans are performed every minute to ensure no animals have entered the collection area. If an animal is detected, the hatch will close. Otherwise, collection will continue. Once a vessel reaches capacity, it returns to the base to unload the plastic. Then, they are inspected for maintenance and return to the patch. The 10 vessels will take turns clearing the patch in groups of 5. While one group is being held for maintenance, recess, and plastic processing, the other group will be actively collecting.  

Figure 5. Diagram of travel route. Background image from The Ocean Cleanup (n.d.). 

Each vessel has a capacity of 254 metric tons. There is an estimated 100,000 metric tons of trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The vessels can move at a speed of 7 knots (13 km/hr.), and the patch is 1,300 km away, meaning it takes approximately 100 hours to travel to the patch. Because of the density of plastic within the patch, it takes take each vessel 2 days to reach capacity. Then, another 4 days are to be spent return to the base. With 5 vessels, one group’s trip moves 1,270 metric tons of plastic. Therefore, 1,270 metric tons are moved every 10 days. At that consistent rate, 45,595 metric tons are moved in one year and it takes 2.19 years to completely clear the patch. Adding some time to allow for breaks, complications, and unforeseen circumstances, the entire patch could be cleared in 5 years. 

The plastics need to be sorted and processed after collection, which we will achieve through partnerships with local recycling facilities in the Port Hueneme area. A partnership allowing us to send our collected plastic to their facilities will eliminate the need to build new facilities, saving money and land. After processing, the plastic will be sold as raw material to various companies that will reuse them for long-term uses. This will help to pay for the vessels and opens the possibility for future profit. We will only sell our recovered plastics for long-term uses to prevent them from cycling back to the ocean. Potential markets for our plastics include plastic lumber and plastic bricks. Likely buyers include Gjenge Makers, Tangent Technologies, and Greenwell Plastics. A major concern of the Naval Cleanup Corporation is ensuring the plastic we sell is not converted into single-use plastic, so our oceans stay clear after our cleanup operations. 

Benefits 

Cleaning the trash from the GPGP is a crucial step in improving the pollution problem for the communities on the Galapagos Islands and Easter Islands. There is limited labor and resources available on these islands. The sheer size of the GPGP means that, if left unresolved, the islands will face overwhelming amounts of plastic washing ashore that will accumulate and ruin beaches. Additionally, leaving the plastic in the GPGP will facilitate its decomposition into microplastics and toxic chemicals that bioaccumulate in the fish that humans eat. Cleaning it, as the Naval Cleanup Corporation proposes, would prevent further formation of toxic chemicals and microplastics. In turn, this would make seafood safer and improve the available population of fish within fisheries. Beaches on these islands would also be cleaner and therefore more suitable for recreation.  

Though other organizations try to clean the oceans with floating interceptors, our product has the unique benefit of being submersible. Interceptors catch plastic on the ocean’s surface but miss submerged plastic. The Reef Guardian can catch plastic under the water and plastic on the surface. Our product is also not susceptible to damage during storms because of its ability to avoid them underwater. In the event of a storm, the vessels can submerge to avoid much of the force.  

The Reef Guardian is designed specifically to minimize harm to ecosystems and wildlife. The AI, sonar, and heat sensors prevent the vessel from harming wildlife. The sensors allow our product to be selective about what it collects, ensuring that only pollution is gathered. The nuclear reactor within the ship is a source of clean energy. Nuclear energy produces no carbon emissions and exponentially less waste than fossil fuels (Office of Nuclear Energy, 2021). Global warming caused by excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere harms our oceans, so the Reef Guardian will not produce any emissions. 

Potential Obstacles 

• Some level of sound pollution will be generated by our vessels. The propellers and machinery will produce noise that may interfere with marine mammals like whales (Enviroliteracy Team, 2024). Sending the vessels out in groups of 5 instead of 10 will reduce the amount of sound pollution. 

• Although the location of the GPGP is considered international waters, the Naval Cleanup Corporation would need to acquire permits to operate the Reef Guardian in United States territory. Any cleanup within other country’s waters would also require permission from their governments which could pose delays and challenges. 

• Acquiring the fuel for the submarine may also be difficult. Though enriched uranium for nuclear energy is different from the variant for nuclear weapons, it does require additional permits to buy and handle. However, successful partnership with the federal government would expedite the permit process.  

Timeline and Budget 

The entire construction process will take an estimated 10 years to complete. The expected budget to build 10 vessels is $264 million. After construction is complete, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch cleanup will take around 5 years. 

The first step is the expansion of Naval Base Port Hueneme. $10 million for the labor and infrastructure provides adequate room and infrastructure to service the 10 Reef Guardian submarines. The R&D for the submarine can be done while the base is being expanded to save time. 

Regular maintenance and upkeep must be done to ensure the vessels perform well. Enriched uranium is necessary as fuel and needs to be replaced every 5 years. These two aspects are reoccurring costs. 

Timeline	Action	Budget
Jan 22, 2025	Concept & budget approval and establishment of public-private partnership.	—
Expanding Naval Base Port Hueneme
Jan 2025 – Jan 2026	Additional space and infrastructure for construction and maintenance of the 10 Reef Guardian submarines.	$10 million
Submarine Construction
Jan 2025 – Jan 2026	Research and development of specific design components to finalize specifications.  Create hyper-specific engineering plans.  Develop and training the AI.	AI Training: $1 million  Additional R&D: $3 million
Feb 2026 – Aug 2027	Securing contracts with suppliers. Acquire quality materials. Hire and train a highly specialized crew to perform maintenance.	$160 million ($16 million per vessel)
Sept 2027 – Sept 2033	Physical construction and assembly of the submarine.	$90 million ($9 million per vessel)
Oct 2033 – Oct 2035	Test all systems and sensors to ensure everything is working.  Send vessels out for short sea trials.	$10 million ($1 million per vessel)
Submarine Maintenance Costs
Every 5 years	Buy and install new enriched uranium fuel	$1 million
Every 1 year	Yearly accumulated cost of maintenance and upkeep	$150,000
Total		$274 million  + $1.15 million yearly
Cleanup Mission
Nov 2035 – Nov 2040	Great Pacific Garbage Patch Cleanup	$5.75 million (5 years of maintenance)

Given that the cleanup in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch will take an estimated 5 years, the cost for the duration of the mission will be $5.75 million. Added to the cost of construction, the total cost is $279.75 million. 

Plastic can be sold as raw material for around $0.80/lb., or $1,763.70/metric ton (Current Scrap Prices – US Plastic Prices, 2024). Assuming all the 100,000 metric tons of plastic from the GPGP is viable, there is a potential to make $176.37 million. This represents 63% of the initial investment. 

The submarines will last much longer than 5 years, so future projects are viable. 

Conclusion 

The Naval Cleanup Corporation is capable of pursuing further cleaning expeditions after accomplishing the goal of clearing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch because of the longevity of the vessels. After the construction of the Reef Guardian, we predict the GPGP will be cleared of plastic within 5 years. Accomplishing such a task puts the United States in a position to lead by example as a pioneer of environmentalism. In addition, selling the recovered plastics could yield repayment of up to 63% of the initial investment. Even without the repayment, $279.75 million is only 2.5% of the total 2025 EPA budget of nearly $11 billion (US EPA, OCFO, 2017). Future cleanup missions promise more plastic to be recovered and sold, which can further diminish the costs. Therefore, an economic incentive is created to continue to clean the oceans.  

References 

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Borrell, B. (2018, October 24). Tackling plastic pollution in the Galápagos. World Wildlife Fund. https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/tackling-plastic-pollution-in-the-galapagos 

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