“Typhoon Project” – Marine Environment Project in West Crete

For the second time, the crew of the ship “Typhoon” of the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation is carrying out coastal cleaning in the area of Kissamos Bay, as part of its project for the protection of the marine environment. 

On behalf of the Municipal authority of Kissamos, the Deputy Mayor of Cleanliness, Mr. Spyros Mavrodimitrakis, contacted the program coordinator of the foundation, Mrs. Peggy Xirotagaros, thanked her for the team’s contribution to their project and obtained her commitment for the immediate return of the ship to the area in order to plan a furtherorganized cleanup of the Western coast of Kissamos.

Source: Municipality of Kissamos, 10th April

The “Typhoon Project” action may serve as inspiration for future actions and training programs that will contribute to the fight against marine pollution.

In Heraklion, officials from the Education Centers for Environment and Sustainability of Arhanes and Ierapetra, the Heraklion Secondary Education Directorate, as well as teachers from schools in Heraklion and Agios Nicholas County visited the “Typhoon” and had the opportunity to tour the ship. They gained insightful experience of the daily action of the “Typhoon” and discussed with the Foundation executives their ideas for future cooperation and programs.

Experiential education is always more effective, as it links learning with the creation of new experiences.

Students of High Schools in Heraklion had the opportunity to see closely what a day on the “Typhoon” is like. They were briefed on the actions of the “Typhoon Project” while guided through all the stages of waste treatment taking place on the deck, after being collected from the shores.

Their enthusiasm for the “TYPHOON” action was great as they determined how they themselves can contribute to the fight against marine pollution and be part of the solution!
Source: Κοινωφελές Ίδρυμα Α Κ Λασκαρίδη – A C Laskaridis Charitable Foundation

ABOUT THE TYPHOON PROJECT:

The “Typhoon Project” was launched in 2019 with the aim of cleaning the entire Greek coastline and giving back the, clean shores to the country’s inhabitants and visitors. The “Typhoon” is a modern Norwegian-built 72-meter long vessel that sails year-round, cleaning up the coasts and transporting the collected waste to recycling structures or other proper disposal structures. 

The “Typhoon” features 5 speed boats to clean inaccessible shores, and large containers, suitable for sorting recyclables collected during operations. Its team, consisting of Foundation executives and vessel’s permanent staff members, collaborates with academic institutions to support research and understanding of the problem of marine pollution in the Mediterranean.

The “Typhoon Project” collaborates with the Laboratory of Marine Geology and Physical Oceanography of the Department of Geology of the University of Patras, for the study of benthic waste in the Saronic and Thermaic Gulfs, as well as with the Marine Remote Sensing Group of the University of the Aegean, for the detection and mapping of plastics, making use of state of the art technology.

Video : The “Typhoon” is the only vessel in the Med and it was purchased by the ACLCF (A.C.Laskaridis Charitable Foundation) 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 ACLCF 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.

Source: Laskaridis Foundation