Marine Oil Spills - A topical issue once again
Hello from Australia!
Having attended and exhibited at the triennial world oil spill conference in Melbourne this month it was an eerie coincidence that a Chinese bulk carrier took a wrong turn into one of the natural wonders of the world - The Great Barrier Reef. Australians are understandably outraged but this is only one of 3 marine oil spill disasters in the last 12 months. Coupled with the very unfortunate situation in the Gulf of Mexico these are telling scenarios that marine spills are still very much a major concern even in today's much improved safety and technological advances in how we move oil around the world.
OPEC has developed many techniques to combat oil spills since the 1970's. We are currently building a new type of skimmer for oil pollution in and around harbours and ports. This will be showcased in June in conjunction with the shipbuilder at Seawork in June this year. (www.seawork.com)
One of the most effective tools for dealing with a marine spill at sea is the OPEC ‘Force 7'. This is a single piece of machinery fitted to a vessel of opportunity. It uses the OPEC mop as a fishing net trawling for surface oil on the sea. Capable of 70m3/h and with the unique advantage of using NO OIL BOOMS means it can be quickly and effectively deployed by one vessel and 2 operators and operate in harsh sea conditions.
