Transporting Marine Waste by Drone: Incheon City to Expand Project Across Ongjin County Next Year

Incheon City announced on the 23rd that it plans to expand its drone-based coastal waste transport project to cover all areas of Ongjin County starting next year.

This project aims to address the challenge of transporting waste from hard-to-reach coastal areas by deploying drones capable of carrying up to 300 kilograms of waste, thereby reducing both the workload and risks associated with moving waste between the shore and transport vessels.

As a pilot project this year, the city conducted operations on October 21 and 22, transporting waste collected from the Paraegeum Beach area on Deokjeokdo Island in Ongjin County to the transport ship "Ongjin Cleanho."

Drones are being deployed to transfer coastal area waste onto transport ships. Incheon City

In particular, this pilot project will be expanded as a demonstration platform to address daily life and environmental issues in island regions, in connection with the "K-Drone Delivery Commercialization Project for Island Areas," which is supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This follows Incheon City’s selection for the "2025 Drone Demonstration City Development Project" by the Ministry.

The city plans to link drone-based coastal waste transport with the "Smart Marine Village" initiative and to establish a sustainable marine environmental management system based on drone technology.

An official from Incheon City stated, "By utilizing drone technology, we will work to quickly and safely remove waste from hard-to-access coastal areas, so that we can pass on a clean sea to future generations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.