4ocean, Safe Harbor Marinas Partner to Eliminate Ocean Plastic

4ocean, a corporation founded to help end the world’s ocean plastic crisis, announced its latest partnership with Safe Harbor Marinas—the world’s largest owner and operator of marinas. Safe Harbor will install 4ocean’s Harbor Skimmers at several of its 97 (and growing) locations with the intention of nationwide deployment over time.

In an effort to minimize ocean plastic pollution, Safe Harbor will install and utilize 4ocean’s latest technology—the 4ocean Harbor Skimmer—as part of its pilot program to remove plastics and other pollution from marinas and harbors. 

4ocean’s Harbor Skimmer is a 450-gallon unit that acts like a pool skimmer for the ocean. As unwanted debris and plastic pollution float into the vicinity of the skimmer, they are gently sucked into the machine and held in the collection bin until it is serviced. The machine runs 24 hours a day and is monitored regularly by trained employees to ensure no wildlife is harmed during the cleaning process. 

“We’re proud to partner with the team at Safe Harbor because it gives us yet another way to remove trash from the ocean at scale while also educating the community on the effects of plastic pollution,” said 4ocean Co-founder Alex Schulze in a statement. “We look forward to influencing positive environmental change together with Safe Harbor for many years to come.”

In February, the brands began working together to incorporate 4ocean Harbor Skimmers in several Safe Harbor locations throughout Florida, including: Safe Harbor Old Port Cove (North Palm Beach); Safe Harbor Calusa Island (Goodland); Safe Harbor Burnt Store (Punta Gorda); and Safe Harbor Pier 77 (Bradenton). The machines were strategically positioned in a location within each marina basin that tends to accumulate floating debris and plastic so that the skimmers can have maximum impact.

“4ocean and Safe Harbor share a deeply held conviction to steward our planet’s waterways, and we are honored to partner with them,” said Baxter Underwood, Safe Harbor’s CEO, in a statement. “Together, we will improve the water quality at hundreds of harbors across the nation.”