Just as the new year commenced, the city of Jakarta (Indonesia) experienced widespread flooding – some of the worst it has seen since 1996, and the highest record rainfall in one day since their earliest records from 1886. With this inundation, more than 150,000 people have been displaced. Even as the waters are subsiding, there is much work to be done following the effects of this natural disaster. For those interested in donating to relief efforts, they can do so through organizations such as the Singapore Red Cross or Mercy Relief.

UPDATE: Following repairs conducted by local operators and The Ocean Cleanup engineers, Interceptor 001 is operational once again.

Early in 2019, we deployed Interceptor 001 in the Cengkareng Drain in Jakarta. As part of the design of these cleanup systems, they have been engineered to withstand harsh conditions, such as flooding. Interceptor 001 responded as intended, by remaining moored in place and no damage was reported for the system itself. The barrier broke, as it was also designed to do, and the team is already enacting solutions onsite in Jakarta. At present, Interceptor 001 is not operational but we expect it to be up and running in the coming weeks – with safety being the first priority.