With the increase in off-shore drilling operations in recent years, oil spill containment has become a rising concern. Although the ideal situation is not to have a spill, companies need to be prepared to contain spills, should they occur, in order to protect sensitive locations and minimize the environmental impact of the spill. As a result, a variety of methods have been developed to address oil spill containment:
Booms
Skimmers
Burning
Dispersants
Boom Based Oil Spill Containment
Booms are floating physical barriers that are often made of plastic, metal, or other materials that are likely to slow the spread of oil and keep it contained to a small area. In order to make use of this method, teams that are well versed in dealing with spills deploy the booms using mooring systems such as anchors and landlines. The booms are usually placed across a narrow entrance to the ocean, such as a small inlet or stream, in order to prevent the oil from passing into marshland or other sensitive habitats. They are also deployed any place where the boom can keep oil away from a sensitive environment such as shellfish beds or beaches. There are three main types of booms:
1. Hard booms
2. Sorbet booms
3. Fire Booms
Hard booms are usually made up of floating cylinders of plastic with a weighted bottom, which creates an underwater skirt. This can contain the oil as well as deflect it in the right conditions. Sorbent booms look like long sausages and are made out of materials to absorb oil. They don’t have skirts and are mainly used to absorb and remove the oil. Fire booms are not used very often, but they are made up of floating cylinders and metal plates that form a skirt. It is used only to contain oil long enough to burn it.
Skimmers
Skimmers are boats and other vessels that can remove oil from the water before it reaches sensitive habitats. Sometimes two boats will work together to haul a collection boom, which concentrates the oil and allows it to be picked up by a skimmer.
In Situ Burning
Although more controversial, in situ burning of an oil spill involves concentrating some of the oil in a fire book and then lighting it. Generally, this can only be done when the spill is fresh and the waters are calm.
Dispersants
Dispersants are also a more controversial method of oil spill containment. For this method, aircrafts or boats apply chemicals that disperse the oil into the water so that it does not have as much of an effect on beaches.
