The “Typhoon”
Nothing can stop the “Typhoon”…
The Athanasios K. Laskaridis Foundation purchase of the Typhoon, a 76 meters long built in 2004 in Norway, a specialist vessel to clean up the seas and coast lines – even in areas which are inaccessible, is a more than welcome fact, not just news!
The “Typhoon” is the only vessel in the Med and she was purchased by the ACLF with the sole purpose to clean up the most inaccessible Greek coast lines, which has become, unfortunately, in some places a waste concentration!
This initiative is within the “Project Typhoon”, an excellent, important and indeed an ambitious initiative for the maritime environment and its maintenance.
“Typhoon” operates in the Greek waters as the catalyst for the protection of the environment from pollution and fulfils the scope for the mega vision set by the Foundation’s founder; it’s the ACLF mission for many years now to contribute with determination in the clean-up Greece’s coast lines as well as that of its thousand islands – small and big ones, from any type of pollutants.
The “Typhoon” is equipped with all modern equipment and means such as specialist rubber boats which are send to “attack” the waste all over the target places and in particular, as mentioned in the preamble, to inaccessible areas. Her pilot program begun at the Lavreotiki region of Attica’s prefecture and to the islet of Patroclus and the operating team consists of members from the ACLF and the vessel’s permanent crew. The clean-up at the islet of Patroclus was a great but difficult task as the team collected nearly 4 (four) tons in the first ten days of the operation there with a great number of the collected waste sent for recycling! All the types of waste have been categorised and classified in accordance with the programme of the Foundation in cooperation with the Centre for the Co-operation of the Marine Environment and all issues and causes are listed and thereafter studied/analysed. At the islet of Patroclus its worth mentioning that the situation was beyond not just comparison but beyond imagination as, with the fish-farms operating there for years, nobody really bothered to check and inspect and see the damage for all; shame!
The “Typhoon’s” operation will continue at the Island of Kea – an island nearby Attica and will include the clean-up of adjacent Makronissos island following permission granted by the Greek Ministry of Culture in a symbolic and actual move with respect to this historic place.
Thereafter “Typhoon” will enter the Saronic Gulf and will perform a unique operation and study the waste at the Saronic Gulf’s sea-bottom for an oceanographic programme, in possibly the most polluted region of Greece… There will also be a study from the results of a ROV’s submersive inspection / research to determine mainly western Saronic Gulf’s sea-bottom’s benthic waste… Good also to see the cooperation with the University of Patras, Faculty of Sea-Geology and Oceanography.
Moreover the “Typhoon” will operate in the Ionian and Aegean Seas and it is anticipated the she will continue all through the year weather permitted.
Good also to see that the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Hellenic Coast Guard’s support, thanks and appreciation for the ACLF initiation. Due to the long standing relationship of the Laskaridis family and the Hellenic Navy, the ACLF has offered the vessel to serve the needs of the Hellenic Coast Guard whenever same are needed!
www.allaboutshipping.co.uk wishes to extend its sincere congratulations to all involved in this project for the benefit of all and in particular the A.C.Laskaridis Charitable Foundation for the continuation of its unsolicited charitable work and contribution. We hope that more Charitable Foundations and Greek shipowners will follow this example!
