Plastic Odyssey — Deep Research Dossier

The only currently operational at-sea thermal processing project. Real value has evolved from "plastic-powered ship" into a floating demonstration lab and entrepreneur incubator.

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The Vessel

Spec	Value
Name	MV Plastic Odyssey (formerly MV Victor Hensen)
IMO	7360655
Flag	France
Length	39m
Beam	9.40m
Gross Tonnage	464 UMS
Engine	736 kW (~1,000 HP)
Speed	8 knots
Built	1975 (Germany) — civilian oceanographic research vessel
Technical space	200+ m²
Crew	19 (7 permanent + 7 technical/scientific + 3 media + 2 guests)

Acquired 2019. 18-month refit at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque (asbestos removal, hull strengthening, lab installation).

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Processing Systems — 15 Technologies Onboard

Material Preparation

1. Sorting table, 2. Shredder (15 kW, ~EUR 12K), 3. Washing tank, 4. Centrifuge

Transformation

5. Extruder, 6. Barrel, 7. Hydraulic press, 8. Sheet oven, 9. Plate furnace, 10. Compactor

Energy Recovery

11. Pyrolysis unit (flagship technology)

Additional

12. Mechanical workshop, 13. Analysis laboratory, 14. Engine test bench, 15. Conference/training room

Pyrolysis Specs

Parameter	Value
Temperature	450°C+ (oxygen-free)
Throughput	30 kg plastic/hr
Fuel output	30–40 litres/hr
Mass → liquid	70–80%
Mass → gas	15–20% (can heat reactor — partial self-sustaining loop)
Mass → solid	5–10%
Preferred feedstock	PP, LDPE, HDPE

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Does the Pyrolysis Fuel the Ship?

Short answer: Partially, as demonstration. Not self-sustaining. The pyrolysis unit powers the recycling workshop and demonstrates the technology. The vessel's main engines run on conventional marine fuel. 30 kg/hr input producing 30–40 L/hr output is nowhere near sufficient to propel a 464 GT vessel. Messaging pivoted from "ship that runs on plastic" (2018) to "floating laboratory" (2023+).

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The Expedition

Departed: Marseille, October 1, 2022 Duration: 3 years continuous Format: ~3 weeks per stopover 40+ stopovers across Mediterranean, West Africa, South America, Caribbean, Pacific, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Indian Ocean, East Africa Return: France tour April–July 2026 (final leg)

Key stops: Beirut, Alexandria, Dakar, Recife, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, India, Mauritius, Madagascar, Cape Town, and many more.

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Impact — Knowledge Transfer

Metric	Number
OnBoard Laboratory sessions	32+
Entrepreneurs engaged	400+
Micro-factories deployed	5+ (Philippines: 2, Mauritius: 1, Senegal: multiple, Togo: 1)
School students hosted	5,000+
Countries visited	30+

Senegal (SUNU project)

10 micro-factories planned, run by Senegalese entrepreneurs. Target: 4,000 tonnes/year recycled, 150 jobs.

Philippines

2 containerized micro-factories inaugurated (Manila, Cebu) Dec 2024. Target: 300 tonnes/year, 20+ jobs per factory.

Henderson Island

9 tonnes of waste removed from remote uninhabited island.

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Open-Source Platform

technology.plasticodyssey.org — all designs patent-free and open-source. 10 machine blueprints available (shredder, washing tank, centrifuge, extruder, hydraulic press, sheet oven, compactor, pyrolysis, etc.). Documentation still being built out — pyrolysis page says "Data under acquisition." Design partner: Dassault Systèmes (3DExperience Lab).

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Funding

Source	Details
Initial seed	EUR 300K (Bénéteau, Clarins, Crédit Agricole)
By 2019	EUR 10M+ (vessel acquisition and renovation)
Main partner	L'Occitane en Provence (5-year commitment)
Corporate sponsors	Clarins (5-year), Crédit Agricole, Matmut, FORVIA, Bouygues
Media	Vivendi Group (Canal+, Prisma Media, GEO, Dailymotion)
Institutional	UNEP Clean Seas, Solar Impulse Foundation, AFD, FFEM
US fund (2025+)	$50M campaign over 6 years via Plastic Odyssey Fund
UNESCO	Landmark collaboration to clean 50 UNESCO marine World Heritage sites

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Team

Name	Role	Background
Simon Bernard	CEO & Co-Founder	Merchant navy officer, National Marine School Marseille
Alexandre Déchelotte	Co-Founder	Merchant navy officer
Bob Vrignaud	Co-Founder & R&D	R&D engineer, recycling systems

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Operational Learnings Published

1. Feedstock variability: Ocean plastic is dirty, mixed, multi-polymer — requires extensive sorting/washing 2. Process control at sea: Pyrolysis at 450°C on moving vessel requires careful control 3. Fuel quality varies: PP/PE produce clean fuel; PET/PS contaminate output 4. Scale limitations: 30 kg/hr is demo, not industrial. Implicit pivot to shore-based micro-factories 5. "Never-ending shipyard": Asbestos discovery, hidden hull weaknesses, 18-month refit 6. Messaging pivot: From "ship that runs on plastic" to "floating lab" — reflects practical reality

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Assessment

Real value = knowledge transfer, not at-sea processing throughput. The containerized micro-factory is the replicable unit, not the ship. Open-source platform is the most ambitious attempt at making recycling technology freely replicable. Operational learnings about at-sea processing challenges (feedstock variability, motion, scale) are directly valuable for The Claw's planning.