After the Napoli was broken into two by the salvage operators, 400m of  Bulkhead boom from oil pollution control specialists Vikoma was deployed to contain any oil that might have spilt from the vessel. The boom was deployed from Vikoma’s hydraulically powered boom reels. The usual height and method of deployment is approximately 1m from sea level and from the stern of a flat vessel. However, deployment in this case was from an abnormal height of 6m due to the limited availability of more appropriate vessels. Vikoma’s equipment was unaffected and the deployment and recovery of the boom from this height was carried out smoothly. The operators of Vikoma’s equipment commented on how well and easy the boom was to deploy and recover, particularly given the conditions they were faced with.

Once the Bulkhead boom was secured in place around the Napoli, it was left for some five days to contain the leaking fuel oil from the ship. During this period the boom prevented any further contamination of the surrounding area. The operators and the crew again commented favourably on how well the boom contained the oil and on its excellent wave following characteristics. The boom has now been recovered and is ready to be cleaned for storage until its next application.

Bulkhead boom is a smooth profiled, oil containment boom which has been designed to meet the OPA90 offshore boom criteria and is used for emergency or semi-permanent deployment situations. The boom is made from heavy duty neoprene rubber (2,500 g/m² of coated fabric) which is vulcanised under pressure to guarantee seam integrity. The boom material is highly weather and oil resistant, and also resistant against UV degradation. Independent buoyancy chambers, formed by sealed internal bulkheads, allow the boom to maintain its integrity and retain oil should damage occur to any one chamber during operation.