The Ocean Cleanup Project’s system is a giant U-shaped barrier designed to sweep through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and collect plastic waste. But about a month after it was towed into position, the team found it was struggling to maintain the speeds needed to gather the trash. Then in December, it reported that its initial solution to the problem hadn’t exactly done the trick, and it was returning to the drawing board.

Now, another problem has emerged. The team says that during a regular inspection it found one of barrier sections tacked onto the main 580-meter-long section had detached as a result of a fracture. The cause is believed to be a combination of material fatigue and stress, but the main section and the 18-meter end section are intact and no material has been lost. The incident does mean that the system’s sensors and satellite communication modules are now compromised, so it’s been decided to bring it in for repairs.