Oil Skimmers News

Authorities in Turkey and Cyprus are on alert for any potential pollution from a 'sheen' of fuel floating across the Mediterranean from a spill in Syria, officials said.Fuel which seeped into the sea from a thermal station off the coast of Syria on August 23 has been snaking across the Eastern Mediterranean, but any potential impact on Cyprus will depend on currents.The latest satellite images of the region provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency showed the oil sheen east of Cyprus breaking down and dissolving, the Cyprus Fisheries and Marine Research Department said.The eastern Cyprus coastline, largely unspoilt, falls within two opposing jurisdictions; an area controlled by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and a Turkish Cypriot breakaway state recognized on

The near-shore and inland workboat fleet is at the leading edge for autonomous vessel developmentWhile the advent of autonomous workboats are not exactly mainstream, you better believe that in the not-too-distant future they will be a reality on waterways in and around the U.S. Today there remain more questions than answers, particularly on the legal, logistics and insurance side of the coin. But the technology is evolving at record pace, providing many in the industry with mixed emotions. Excitement. Controversy. Curiosity. Skepticism. These are just a few of thoughts, and emotions that arise to any mention of the topic of autonomous vessels.It’s happening now.

When markets expand niches are created, goes the logic. For builders of tugs, that market is “floating gas” and the expanding use of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, as a fuel. In support of LNG, there’ll be more oceangoing tug duty — the new floating storage and regasification units, or FSRUs, mean busier LNG carriers, and LNG cargo owners have an interest in tug escorts that share their “carbon footprint”. Still, new emissions rules offer ways to keep using refinery products, and the work of master tug designers suggests the new breeds of tugs are about more than fuel.

Cleaning up marine oil spills can be a challenge as there are various types of oil spilled but only a few effective recovery methods. The three main technologies for oil spill recovery for inland and offshore waters are mechanical, insitu burning (ISB), and dispersant application. Absorbent booms and pads may also be used, but they are more effective for small fuel spills. Mechanical recovery, usually an oil skimmer, is a device that skims contained floating oil and transfers the recovered oil to a storage container or vessel.

Later this year a major oil and chemical protection exercise dubbed SCOPE 2017 will be carried out in Norway. A joint project including major European and Scandinavian stakeholders, the simulated response to a combined oil and chemical spill aims to foster clearer communication and coordination of spill response across agencies and physical country boundaries. Stig Wahlstrøm, Project Manager SCOPE 2017, Norwegian Coastal Administration and Johan Marius Ly, Director, Department for Emergency Response, explain.

Oil spills, trash, debris, sediment, chemicals: how do we keep our waterways clean? If an oil spill happens on water, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90) has very clear rules on who is responsible for paying for cleanup costs. Most oil spills can be traced to the spiller – a pipeline owner, oil tanker, shipper, railroad or trucking company. “Pointing a finger” at the alleged party may be why this type of pollution is referred to as “point source.” If the oil spill is ruled an accident and the polluter is not legally responsible…

The BoomVane is one of the most useful and interesting tools available to oil spill responders for shoreline and single vessel boom deployment. Maintaining an effective oil containment boom configuration with two vessels is difficult to coordinate. The Elastec BoomVane solves that problem. BoomVane can also tow heavier booms greater distances than an outrigger arm resulting in wider sweep swaths. Illinois-based Elastec is the manufacturer and owner of the proprietary BoomVane technology. Elastec offers four BoomVane sizes to accommodate various water depths.

Private partnerships, executed perfectly – that’s West Coast boatbuilding in today’s challenging business climates. P3 Partnerships: no, we’re not talking about infrastructure funding. But, in our P3 version, boatbuilding in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska is alive and well, because of it. Long-standing enterprises and relative newcomers are all experiencing an uptick in projects. Here, as part of our annual MN100 top company profiles, we take a look at how three organizations have either merged and/or partnered with complementary companies to expand skills…

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a report of an oil spill in the Los Angeles Harbor, Thursday morning. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach command center received a report at 10:48 a.m. of an unknown quantity of oily-water mixture coming from a holding tank residing on the Vopak Terminal. Coast Guard investigators from Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach are currently investigating the report. A majority of the oil released has been reported as being contained on the pier, however, some of the oil water mixture entered the water. Oil spill response organizations including the National Response Corporation, Ocean Blue, and Patriot Environmental are conducting clean-up operations using oil skimmers and absorbent pads.

An annual oil spill response joint exercise, this year code-named Oilex 2013, was held on October 17 off Ha Mei Wan, Lamma Island, to test responses in combating oil pollution in Hong Kong waters. Under the Maritime Oil Spill Response Plan, the Marine Department coordinated the exercise and other government departments including the Civil Aid Service, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Government Flying Service (GFS) and the Hong Kong Police Force participated. Several oil companies and Hong Kong Response Limited also took part in the exercise.

Oil spill equipment manufacturer Elastec brings new and sophisticated tools to a market in need of better, faster, more efficient and environmentally sound tactics. Just what the doctor ordered. Elastec/American Marine may well be the largest manufacturer of oil spill and environmental equipment in North America, but it is technology and innovation that are quickly propelling the firm to the top of the markets. With six U.S. locations, three foreign offices and a network of global dealers, ISO 9001 certified-Elastec produces a range of products that includes oil spill equipment (skimmers, containment boom, fire boom, dispersant application equipment), incinerators, vacuum systems, portable tanks, pumps and a dozen more entries.

John Dane III, President and CEO of TY Offshore, LLC & Trinity Yachts, LLC delivers 'Shipyard Day' show keynote speach. The show's 'Shipyard Day' keynote address is from John Dane III, President and CEO of TY Offshore, LLC and Trinity Yachts, LLC, during the 2012 International Workboat Show in New Orleans, Louisiana. John Dane's TY Offshore, currently builds offshore supply vessels, patrol craft, tug boats, oil skimmers and inland oil tank barges, while Trinity Yachts is one of the world's leading builders of megayachts to 330 feet. Both Trinity companies share two shipyards—in Gulfport, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana—and employ 650 personnel and 200 subcontractors.

SKIMOIL, Inc.’s new diesel FUEL FILTER ALERT and alarm system, developed specifically for the commercial marine industry, provides an accurate real-time indication of fuel filter status. The system is especially valuable for vessels that don't have constant filter monitoring by dedicated on-board engineers, such as harbor tugs and other workboats running with a small crew. "All it takes is a load of bad diesel fuel to get a workboat in serious trouble fast, and it's always when least expected…

Marine companies along the Gulf of Mexico have seen little new business since the offshore drilling moratorium was lifted in early October as oil producers apply for permits and decide how to navigate costly safety regulations. At Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., one of the top U.S. boat builders, Chief Executive Officer Boysie Bollinger, said “we're waiting for BOEM to start issuing offshore drilling permits, and no one has any idea when that will be.” He wonders if the government knows when more permits will be released.

The Maritime Cabotage Task Force (MCTF) said that recent Jones Act criticism is false and is only distracting from the job of cleaning up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Responding to these misleading and inaccurate claims, those leading and coordinating the response as well as independent news organizations have said that the Jones Act is not preventing or delaying foreign vessels’ ability to assist with cleaning the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Jones Act mandates the use of American vessels and American workers in U.S. domestic maritime trade. However, it does not impede foreign oil skimmers, which are already being used in the clean-up effort. Retired U.S.

Kvichak Marine Industries is currently constructing a run of approximately 30 rapid response oil skimmers fitted with Marco Pollution Control CL-1 Filterbelt oil recovery modules for customers responding to the Gulf oil spill. The Kvichak/Marco Filterbelt is suited for high volume recovery of the oil types encountered in this spill. Kvichak is expecting over 100 skimming vessels utilizing the Filterbelt to be in operation on this spill in the coming weeks. This specialized system is adaptable to a variety of marine spill scenarios and is able to recover a very wide range of spills…

The unified response to the collision and oil spill from the tankship Eagle Otome continues. To date, more than 9,600 barrels of oil/water mixture has been recovered, evaporated or dispersed naturally of the 11,000 barrels spilled. Current response assets include 88 oil skimmers, 6 oil vacuum vehicles and 114,545 feet of containment boom. As the majority of the on-water oil has been recovered, the operation will begin to focus on shoreline clean-up and restoration. Vessel traffic and facility numbers have returned to pre-incident status. Vessel Traffic Service is managing traffic.

Bob Henry (age 61), vice president and founder of Bay Marine, Inc. died December 18, 2003. Although Henry suffered from heart disease for years and more recently, from Parkinson’s disease, he battled back and was working nearly full time. Henry, a boat builder from a young age, completed his first at age 11. At 16, he built his own boat and cruised from Essex, Conn. to Lake Champlain. After graduating from the Webb Institute, Henry worked for Gladding Hearn Shipbuilding and Jack Gilbert before landing a job managing the Matton Shipyard in Cohoes, NY at the eastern end of the Erie Canal. In the early 70’s, he moved to Rhode Island with his wife Kathy and two young sons, Shawn and Seth where he went on to manage the Blount shipyard. In 1975, he started Bay Marine, Inc.

Kvichak Marine Industries has delivered the Cama'i, a 69 x 25-ft. aluminum catamaran to the Department of Public Safety Division of Alaska State Troopers. Designed by Crowther Multihulls, the Cama'i is scheduled to patrol the waters around Kodiak Island, the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay. The State Trooper mission requires a vessel with a top speed of 25 knots and a cruising speed of 20 knots. These speeds are attained by the propulsion choice of twin Caterpillar 3196 engines 660 bhp at 2300 rpm, driving 30-in. propellers through Twin Disc MG 5114A marine gears. The Cama'i will be used for protection of life and property, enforcement of commercial fishing regulations, search and rescue missions, and support of multi-agency law enforcement efforts.

The Damen ASD Tugs 3110 SIMBA III, KIBOKO II AND NYANGUMI II are not the first Damen Tugs to be used in the port of Mombasa. “EL-LAMY”, a Stan Tug 3300 with a bollard pull of 55 ton. § It is used as harbour for import and exports as a gateway to East Africa. For these purposes freighters and container vessels up to 85.000 ton visit the port. § Of even more importance is the function of the harbour as a cruise vessel port. The largest cruise vessels like “Queen Elisabeth” visit the port regularly.

Marine oil spills are subject to natural processes, which alter oil's physical and chemical properties. These factors ? as well as the type of oil spilled, the magnitude of the spill, and the physical conditions of the spill site ? determine the appropriate response for spill cleanup. Response options include mechanical recovery, chemical treatment and in-situ burning. Every spill scenario is unique and constantly changing. Careful assessment by experienced personnel is required for effective response performance. Natural spreading of the oil spill is a major factor in determining the response option most likely to succeed. The number and availability of personnel and equipment is also a major consideration.

A 15-man member of the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines is set to begin its three-day inquiry into the Guimaras oil spill to help the government address the problem in aid of legislation, tempo.com.ph reported. According to the committee, the main purpose of the probe is to determine how to assist the government in the task of cleaning up the oil mess and its surroundings, as well as to look into how the local government unit (LGU) could immediately respond in times of similar disasters. In the process of investigation, the probe body expects to interview Petron chairman Nicasio Alcantara and Sunshine Maritime Development Corp.

The Coast Guard has reported that response crews are anchoring the barge and plugging ballast tank vents to prevent water from leaking into the cargo tanks. Salvage opperations will continue throughout the night. An underwater survey operations revealed that oil continues to leak from the barge's damaged cargo tank. An over flight this morning revealed a sheen and black patches of oil extending three miles southwest of the barge. While transiting from Houston to Tampa, Fla., the barge struck some debris that gouged a 35-ft. long by 6-ft. wide hole in the starboard bow. There was approximately 300 thousand gallons of oil in the damaged tank. The tank barge DBL 152 was carrying almost 5 million gallons of a thick, heavy petroleum product known as number-six fuel oil.