Sensitive areas, such as vulnerable coastal habitats,  can be protected from oil pollution, although the effectiveness of this protection will depend very much on sea and weather conditions, and characteristics such as currents and tides.

A very important method of preventing oil from reaching the shoreline is protection booming. Booms are floating devices that can be placed on the water in front of an area that needs to be protected. Booms can be joined together to reach an appropriate length. Different types of booms exist, each of them suitable for specific conditions, but each also with specific limitations.