Oil Spill Containment Booms

By: Bulbeck Click author's name for more of his/her articles

What is an oil spill?

An oil spill is the direct result of the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment owing to human activity. The spill may contain a whole variety of materials such as crude oil, refined petroleum products like diesel fuel and gasoline and by products, oily refuse or oil mixed in waste. Oil spills can take months, and sometimes even years to clean up. It is severely hazardous to the environment and extremely dangerous to marine life.

Influence of an oil spill on marine life and birds.

Oil seeps through the plumage of birds and reduces its insulating ability, leading to adverse effects upon the birds’ flight abilities and the ability to flee from predators. When birds preen, they inevitably consume the oil stuck on their feathers. This causes liver and digestive tract disorders. Most birds that are caught in an oil spill die unless there is human intervention. The same can be said for marine mammals like seals and otters.

How does an oil containment boom help?

Oil spill containment booms are designed for the purpose of containing oil spills in water. They act as barriers between water contaminated by the oil spill and clean water. Oil spill containment booms round off all the oil spilt and carries it off the water. An oil spill containment boom generally made of a buoyant material so that it can float easily in the water; it is weighed down by a chain to steady it.

What kind of oil spill containment booms are there?

• In environments such as rivers, estuaries, streams and near-shore locations where current is a factor, the Optimax oil spill containment boom is recommended because it is reinforced with cables that provide high tensile strength required to pull the boom in fast water.

• Oil spill containment booms that have stable floats with a high buoyancy reserve are recommended for shoreline recommendation.

• If there is an oil spill in a swamp, the Oil spill containment boom Super swamp provides ready assistance as it is lightweight and can easily be transported from one place to another. It can be loaded at the back of a truck and be taken out for use immediately.

• For areas that require a long term deployment of oil spill containment boom, there is also a oil spill containment boom with fence like features. The fenced oil spill containment boom is steady and does not slide from its place; it has great resistance.

• The Rubber Max oil spill containment boom is ideal for open sea deployments. Its highly visible orange material is suitable for mariners and vessels as it prevents a possible navigational hazard. The material of the oil spill containment boom has a long life expectancy and it is designed so that it rides waves with ease.

The oil spill containment boom is essential to tackling oil spills and protecting the delicate balance of the environment.