Plastic bottle boat's epic trip close to an end

Reuters

The vessel left San Franciso in March on a voyage designed to raise awareness about the amount of plastic waste being dumped in the sea.

A catamaran made of 12,500 plastic bottles is on schedule to reach Sydney this morning, ending its remarkable 18,520km journey across the Pacific Ocean.

The Plastiki was off the Central Coast about 6pm (NZT) on Sunday and is due to arrive in Sydney Harbour around 11am today (1pm NZT).

The vessel left San Franciso in March on a voyage designed to raise awareness about the amount of plastic waste being dumped in the sea.

Its six-member crew, skippered by David de Rothschild, a descendent of the famous British banking family, will be greeted by US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich and deputy Sydney mayor Phillip Black.

They will finally step back on to dry land after four months at sea at the city's maritime museum, Darling Harbour, where the Plastiki is due to go on temporary display.

Speaking in a webcast from the Plastiki on July 24, Mr de Rothschild said he was surprised at the lack of awareness about the amount of rubbish being dumped in the sea.

"It was a needless problem," he added.

- AAP