Norwegian Billionaire Gives Away His Fortune To Help Save The Oceans

May 19, 2017

A Norwegian billionaire, who started out as a fisherman, has announced that he will give away most of his fortune to help clean up the world's oceans.

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Kjell Inge Røkke is in the process of building a marine research vessel that's also designed to scoop up a major oceanic threat — plastic pollution.

The Research Expedition Vessel (REV) , built in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, will be able to suck up 5 tons of plastic a day which will then be recycled.

"I want to give back to society the bulk of what I've earned," Røkke told Norway's Aftenposten newspaper. "This ship is a part of that."

The mega-yacht— which will be the world's largest once built — can carry 60 scientists and 40 crew members. It will be equipped with laboratories, an auditorium, two helipads, a hangar for a remote operated vehicle, an autonomous underwater vehicle as a multifunctional cargo deck aft of the ship, and high-tech equipment for monitoring and surveying marine areas.

The ship is expected to be operational by summer 2020.