Oil combat at sea
Oil combat at sea is the best method to avoid animals getting in contact with the oil. The primary focus is to contain the oil in or close to the source, which may be a ship. This is amongst the main challenges of a salvage operation.
If these efforts cannot not eliminate the problem and oil is drifting away from the source, there are a number of techniques to combat the oil at sea, the most important described briefly below.
Mechanical methods
| Offshore booming | Two ships tow a specially designed boom which collects oil. The collected oil is removed from the water by one of the ships using a skimmer. |
| Specially designed ships | Ships are equipped with sweeping arms that are placed aside the ship while the ship is sailing through a slick of oil. The arms move oil to the side of the ship from where it is removed from the water by a skimmer. The ships have large storage tanks, sometimes heated to keep the oil liquid, which enable them to collect a lot of oil before they have to return ashore. |
Chemical methods
| Dispersants | Dispersants are chemicals that are sprayed over a slick of fresh oil. The chemicals force the oil into the water column where it is broken down into small droplets. The small droplets enhance the process of biodegradation. |
Other methods
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In situ burning |
The method of offshore booming is used, but this time with fire resistant booms. When enough (fresh) oil has been collected it can be set on fire. Especially light components of the oil will burn. Heavier components will not burn and sink to the bottom. |