Offshore Oil Spills
Devastating major oil spills from drill platforms, commercial tankers, and other ships continue to be a serious threat to the world's ocean and shoreline environments. (See our Resources page for extensive documentation and press coverage of this threat.) There is growing awareness among environmental, government and industry groups that something must be done about high seas oil spills in particular.
While the $75 million Norwegian vessel Stril Poseidon can recover oil in waves up to 3m, no existing technology can recover oil in heavy seas with waves over 3m. This is becoming an important issue because much of the world's new oil reserves are far offshore where seas run heavier. The 2002 sinking of the Prestige off Spain dumped almost twice as much oil as the Exxon Valdez and caused a $3 billion coastal mess because the seas were too rough to deal with the spilled oil.
Europe's Oil Sea Harvester project (OSH) is the only conventional effort underway meant to address these shortcomings. It will utilize old technology in a new $150 million vessel.
Computer graphic of the Oil Sea Harvester (OSH)
Preliminary design work has been completed at a cost of $5 million, however it should be noted that the OSH vessel will not be able to operate in heavy ice or extreme cold.
Canadian Coast Guard officials have stated that the EST system appears to have the ability to recover oil in seas exceeding 3m. Recent sea trials support this finding, and engineers and oil experts in Norway, China, and at the IOSC agree.
The CCG believes the EST technology could function well in such heavy seas if the vessel using it is large enough. Nevertheless, we expect it will be much smaller and cheaper than the OSH since EST utilizes a different approach with modern technology. An offshore oil spill recovery vessel using EST technology would cost some 70% less to build than the OSH.
Vessel of Opportunity Skimming Systems (VOSS)
Existing VOSS systems rely on independent ships such as supply vessels, tugs or fishing boats to handle the equipment. Because such vessels do not follow ships around waiting for an oil spill to occur, they may not be available when the spill occurs. They also rely on calm seas when attempting to recover the spilled oil. Is this a realistic expectation? In addition, a tug or supply ship can cost $10,000 per day or more to hire.
The existing VOSS technology is too fragile to survive ice, as recent tests have documented, and as noted, is ineffective in rough seas. These devices are too cumbersome to work well in difficult conditions. They utilize too many guy wires, fragile struts, winches, cranes and personnel. In choppy seas, with oil splashing over decks and equipment, such clumsy, labour-intensive gear becomes dangerous and impractical to operate.
(For images of such fragile VOSS equipment, visit links provided on our Resources page.)
An Extreme Spill Technology VOS System is a unit that integrates with standard ships' lifeboats. There is much talk about shipboard systems, but nothing that can work in rougher seas. The EST technology does, and every ship has motorized lifeboats of sufficient horsepower that can accommodate it.
The EST approach provides a catamaran-style oil spill recovery vehicle (OSRV) that is simply pushed into the spilled oil by the ship's lifeboat. This arrangement is very common with service vessels called notch tugs, and specialized barges (corresponding to the EST OSRV). Almost all lifeboats worldwide are a standard size, so designing the VOSS to fit a lifeboat is quite routine. The EST VOSS is also completely different and eliminates the ungainly equipment, the need for one or more big vessels, and much of the manpower required for the conventional VOSS systems described above.
A notch-tug in action
As the following graph demonstrates, salvage tugs, usually the first on the scene of a ship in distress, can recover large amounts of oil. The International Salvage Tugs Union are pressing to have all 11,000 of their tugs equipped with oil spill recovery equipment. An Extreme Spill Technology VOSS would be most effective in this application, especially in sea conditions with waves over 3m.
Another new approach by Extreme Spill Technology is a self-propelled oil spill recovery vessel, stored inside an open-topped container that can be installed on oil rigs, oil tankers and other large ships. It is thereby available for immediate deployment by the ship's crane, and will work effectively in rougher seas and light ice with only 2-3 crew members required.
The key to avoiding catastrophic damage and extreme liability is a fast response.