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Oil Containment News

01 Jul 2021

L3 Harris Tapped to Deliver USV for Offshore Oil Spill Response

Photo courtesy L3 Harris

An unidentified "leading integrated oil and gas company" recently took delivery of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) from  L3Harris Technologies, a USV designed to help out during oil spill response operations.C-Tug 3 is an 11-ft. USV  outfitted with L3Harris' ASView control system,a system designed to enable USV remote operations from a land-based control station. C-Tug 3 is designed to execute pre-programmed mission plans and real-time teleoperation via a remote touch screen unit. Once deployed, the USV can tow an oil containment boom into position to prevent the spread of any contaminants.

30 Sep 2020

Cracked Containership No Longer Leaking Oil in NY Harbor

Oil is no longer leaking from the cracked hull of a containership moored in the Port of New Yok and New Jersey, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.A sheen around the Danaos-owned YM Mandate was first reported to the Coast Guard on Monday after the ship arrived at the Global Container Terminal in Bayonne, N.J., from Halifax, N.S.A unified command team consisting of the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Gallagher Marine Systems is responding since after the Coast Guard confirmed the Liberian-flagged vessel was leaking oil from a crack in its hull.Oil containment boom and absorbent pads are deployed around the 300 meter long, 6,572 TEU capacity YM Mandate, and skimming vessels continue to remove oil from the water.

05 Oct 2018

Singapore Conducts Oil Spill Exercise

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) conducted a multi-agency Joint Oil Spill Exercise (JOSE) yesterday (Friday) to test its abilities to respond to oil spills at sea. A mock collision and oil spill was staged in Singapore waters near Pulau Semakau in a response exercise.More than 250 personnel from 26 agencies participated in JOSE 2018 (please see Annex A for list of agencies), which comprised a table-top exercise at the MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre. During the exercise, agencies deliberated on operational and policy measures to deal with a major oil spill in Singapore waters, and a seaward deployment exercise scenario near Raffles reserved anchorage.The seaward deployment exercise scenario involved a simulated collision between two tanker vessels…

03 Jan 2017

New Workboat for Oil Spill Response

(Photo: SWB)

An all new workboat, produced by the Portuguese company SWB, Seismic Workboats, Lda headquartered in Peniche, has been designed and developed by engineering teams from Portugal, England, the U.S. and Norway and built at Peniche Shipyard. The new vessel is the first workboat SWB has produced for oil spill response. In October, the National Maritime Authority in Portimão, Algarve (AMN) carried out a validation test consisting of an exercise for oil spill response in the marine environment, allowing testing and validation of the workboat in multiple scenarios.

01 Nov 2016

Tech File: BoomVane - A Powerful Boom Deployment System

Photo: Elastec

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.

15 Jun 2016

Tech File: Fire Boom for the US' Worst Oil Spill

Photo: Elastec

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon mobile offshore drilling platform was destroyed as a result of a catastrophic blowout of the Macondo 252 well in the Gulf of Mexico. The blowout resulted in a continuous discharge of approximately 3.19 million barrels of oil over three months covering approximately 30,000 square miles of the Gulf. It was the worst accidental oil spill in U.S. history. Due to the massive amount of oil being spewed into the Gulf, three aggressive oil removal methods were authorized: mechanical skimming, dispersant application and controlled burns.

31 May 2016

Freighter Runs Aground in Lake Superior

Two freighters transit upbound the Soo Locks past the safety zone established by the U.S. Coast Guard around the motor vessel Roger Blough near Gros Cap Reefs Light, May 30, 2016 in Lake Superior. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Christopher M. Yaw)

The U.S. Coast Guard informs it is continuing to monitor and respond to the 833-foot U.S. cargo vessel Roger Blough, which ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior. The chance of a fuel spill is minimal and flooding on the vessel is stable, the Coast Guard said. The Roger Blough crew is said to be in good condition with no reported injuries. Plans to free the grounded freighter continue to progress through the combined efforts of Canadian partners, company representatives and the U.S. Coast Guard.

04 Feb 2015

Vikoma and Mobimar Supply Oil Spill Response Equipment for Finnish Border Guard

	Photo Courtesy of Vikoma International

OPV Turva, the Finnish Border Guard's new 314 foot (95.9 meter) offshore patrol vessel, will be outfitted for oil spill response just seven months after its launch. UK-based Vikoma International Ltd and Mobimar Ltd of Finland will provide the vessel with oil spill response equipment, including 800m of Vikoma oil containment boom, four Vikoma boom reels, and Mobimar's in-hull integrated recovery system, along with other oil recovery systems. The equipment will provide a recovery capacity of over 1000m3.

03 Sep 2014

MN 100: Smit International N.V.

In 1842, 65-year-old Fop Smit began using a 140hp paddle steamer to guide vessels safely into the Port of Rotterdam, and thus L. Smit & Co. was born. The company went through various stages of expansion, notably adding salvage services to its operations in the mid 1900s, and gradually grew into an internationally-operating outfit offering a wide range of maritime services. Today known as SMIT, a member of Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. since 2010, the company has been providing maritime services, including towage, salvage, transport and heavy lift for nearly 170 years.

19 Aug 2014

Oil Spills into Ohio River from Coal Plant

The U.S. Coast Guard closed a 15-mile stretch of the Ohio River on Tuesday after at least five thousand gallons of fuel oil spilled from a 60-year-old power plant owned by Duke Energy near Cincinnati, Ohio. The spill occurred late on Monday during a "routine transfer of fuel oil" at the W.C. Beckjord plant in New Richmond, Duke said. It began at 11:15 p.m. and was stopped 15 minutes later. It was not clear if the oil had been contained or if there was any impact on wildlife or drinking water. "We are still assessing the situation and any effects that may occur," a spokeswoman for the company said on Tuesday. Intake for drinking water has been closed on the river, she said.

23 Jul 2014

Ecuador Order Elastec/American Marine Oil Spill Equipment

Elastec/American Marine say that quality and dependability made all the difference when the state oil company of Ecuador decided recently to purchase its oil spill response equipment. PetroEcuador recently acquired two ELASTEC TDS136G grooved drum skimmers, two ELASTEC SeaSkater weir skimmers, a PACS1000-770, two ELASTEC BoomVane™ units, 60 sections of oil containment boom and ten QuickTanks. The oil spill response equipment will be used at PetroEcuador’s Esmeraldas facility, the country’s largest and most important refinery. Elastec skimmers have been in service there for over six years, and that track record, Elastec’s grooved drum…

07 Mar 2014

Know thy Contracts, and the Liability Accompanying Them

‘No man is an island.’ Today, the interconnectivity of business can drive opportunity, but those same interactions can significantly affect us and our businesses. Today’s marine businesses have to manage and prepare for the actions of “the other guy” as much as they have to manage their own operations. While businesses often ask their customers, tenants and subcontractors to carry insurance, they often do not carefully delve into insurance specifics to assure that gaps in insurance coverage don’t exist, that limits are adequate, or that they have the right coverage for their operations. To explain some unforeseen liability issues that may occur…

11 Sep 2013

Olympic Tug & Barge Fined for Port Angeles Oil Spill

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is fining Olympic Tug & Barge of Seattle $16,500 for spilling oil into Port Angeles Harbor last November. The spill occurred when a company-owned fuel barge was overfilled while being loaded with fuel oil. Ecology determined the Nov. 7, 2012, heavy fuel oil spill occurred because of an error by the barge operator. More than 1,700 gallons of fuel spilled to the deck of the barge with nearly 50 gallons entering Port Angeles Harbor. The oil transfer was being conducted at the Tesoro Port Angeles Terminal located at the foot of the spit Ediz Hook. Olympic Tug & Barge had oil containment boom placed around the barge prior to starting the fuel transfer which helped contain the spill.

10 Sep 2013

Industry, Government Collaborate on Long Island Sound Casualty Simulation

On September 17, McAllister Towing and Reinauer Transportation will be partnering with the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound and Sector New York in a major simulated marine accident and pollution incident on the waters of Long Island Sound. Responders will be faced with a simulated grounding and subsequent oil spill impacting the waters and shoreline of Connecticut and New York. The exercise is part of the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP), a voluntary program bringing together industry and government to meet the exercise and preparedness requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, legislation enacted following the Exxon Valdez.

09 Oct 2012

An Energy SuperPower

Russia is an energy superpower and the country has vast and rich natural resources. Besides gas and coal reserves (some of the largest in the world), Russia today is ranked as the world’s biggest oil producing nation accounting for well over 12% of the global output. Moreover, the country exports more than 70% of its oil to the world markets. That said, Russia’s output of oil amounts to a third of what collectively the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) produces. The country has relied on oil production for decades, however there has been a notable geographical shift.

13 Apr 2012

Magnet Provides Robust Holding Force

The MAM-Light is a powerful permanent magnet that weighs just 1.5 kg.

Miko introduces new permanent magnet for robust temporary anchor points above or below water. Miko Marine AS of Oslo, Norway, has a new lightweight and compact addition to its range of permanent magnets. The MAM Light possesses exceptional magnetic strength relative to its size and this enables it to bring new benefits to divers, boat crews, ROV (remotely operated vehicle) and salvage operators. The MAM-Light is a powerful permanent magnet that weighs just 1.5 kg yet has a holding force of up to 150 kg.

11 Sep 2011

Offshore Vessel Operators Suffer As Gulf Oil Output Sags

Marine Management, LLC managing member Cliffe Laborde (left), with Peter Laborde

As seen in the August edition of MarineNews, Susan Buchanan updates readers on the GOM oil production situation. BP's gushing well was capped more than a year ago but life is hardly back to normal in the U.S. Gulf--where rigs and vessels remain underutilized. At least ten rigs have moved overseas since last summer. Gulf oil production is below pre-spill levels and won't recover anytime soon, analysts say. Issuance of drilling permits picked up this spring as operators agreed to use oil-containment systems but permitting lags earlier rates.

27 Jun 2010

Storm May Thwart BP Well Containment

According to a June 25 report from the Houston Chronicle, a tropical weather system heading for the Gulf of Mexico threatened to halt operations at the BP well leak site and send oil gushing unabated into the ocean. If a storm reaches the Gulf, oil containment operations and the drilling of relief wells to plug the leaking Macondo well will have to be stopped and equipment redeployed to safe areas. The tropical system is forecast to reach the southwestern Gulf of Mexico by early Monday, June 28. (Source: Houston Chronicle)

01 Jul 2010

ZF: Information for Vessels in Oil Affected Waters

ZF Marine, in recognition of the large number of vessels operating in support of the oil containment and clean up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, offers the following information to fleets operating ZF Marine transmissions with raw water cooling systems. ZF Marine understands that operation of the vessels in these waters cannot be avoided. As such, Chief Engineers, and Port Captains should consider taking the following actions to maximize transmission cooler life. 1.             Adhere to the cooler cleaning regimen outlined in the operator’s service manual. 2.             Transmissions not equipped with an oil temperature monitoring system should have it installed as soon as possible.

22 Jul 2010

Oil Majors to Invest $1B in GOM Oil Containment System

Today four oil majors – Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell – announced a plan to build and deploy a rapid response system that will be available to capture and contain oil in the event of a potential future underwater well blowout in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Significantly, the companies have already committed $1 billion to fund the initial costs of the system, and the four will form a non-profit organization, the Marine Well Containment Company, to operate and maintain this system. Other companies will be invited and encouraged to participate in this organization.

30 Jul 2010

New Alnmaritec Skimmers Delivered

The Responder 1 (Photo courtesy Alnmaritec Ltd)

Alnmaritec Limited, a UK boat builders, has two new boats delivered in 2010 to in the oil spill response/pollution control vessel market. The most recent delivery was a boom deployment and spill response boat which was delivered to the Barbados National Terminal Company Ltd. for operation on their oil export facility at Oistins Bay on the South Coast of the island. The new vessel Responder 1 is based upon the successful Wave Worker class from Alnmaritec and she is a 39.3 ft long by 17.4 ft wide displacement catamaran design providing a very stable and seaworthy platform.

02 Aug 2010

Wellhead Secured in Barataria Waterway

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to work with the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office LOSCO, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources LDNR, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality LDEQ, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries LAWLF, the Louisiana State Police LSP, and Jefferson Parish Emergency Services to minimize environmental damage resulting from an allision between a tow vessel and a wellhead in the Barataria Waterway, which occurred at approximately 1 a.m., July 27. The Unified Command Post, established at U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, is reporting that the wellhead was secured at 6:05 p.m. August 1 and is no longer emitting oil or natural gas into Barataria Bay. The wellhead is also equipped with a light.

20 Jan 2011

Lamore World-Wide Oil Spill Response

Lamor oil recovery equipment being deployed during the clean-up efforts. Photo courtesy Lamor Corporation Ab

The April 2010 Gulf of Mexico massive oil spill needed immediate external support, expertise, solutions and equipment to assist in the containment and clean-up efforts. Finnish based Lamor Corporation immediately set its action plans into motion and within 36 hours, through its global network, the company airlifted its arsenal of equipment and key personnel to the scene. The blown-out well on the ocean floor off Louisiana threatened the entire ecosystem in the area as well as the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people at a rate of over 5,000 barrels of leaking crude oil per day.