New Norwegian oil boom

The Oil Trawl, which has been developed by NorLense can be deployed and operated from relatively small craft and has been adopted by several operators.

The inflatable boom is housed on a reel which in turn is housed inside a container. This 10 foot container has been designed to fit on the deck space of small craft and the weight of the container and the boom is 2600 kg. The Oil Trawl is powered by a diesel power pack that drives both the hydraulic system and the air compressor that is used to inflate the boom and this is also housed within the container.

The boom is inflated as it is deployed and it can be operated from a single boat if a paravane is used to help deploy the boom. Alternatively it can be towed between two boats. It is claimed that the boom can operate in waves up to 2 metres in height and in winds up to 15 metres per second. The towing force required in 1500 kp.

The boom comprises an inflatable tube that sets the level of the boom in the water. This is inflated on deployment and there is a skirt fitted below this to create a deeper oil barrier. A second compartment in the boom is used to collect the oil from the surface and this oil is channelled into a storage bag attached to the apex of the boom. This has a capacity of approximately 15 cubic metres and the collected oil can be pumped out into storage tanks or the bag can be disconnected from the boom and towed ashore for emptying.

The deployed boom operates in a Y-shaped for as it is towed with a length of 22 metres on either side. This means that a path approximately 25 metres wide can be swept on one pass. One of the big advantages of this system is that no oil skimmer is required to collect the oil. It is claimed that oil recovery can take place at speeds up to 4 knots.

All of the flexible components of the Oil Trawl are made from an oil resistant PVC/PU fabric that is coloured orange. The whole system is designed for one man operation.

NorLense has supplied over 20 of the Oil Trawl systems so far to oil companies as an emergency response system and the Norwegian Coast Guard has adopted the system as their standard recovery system. The Oil Trawl has been fully tested in the North Sea on several occasions and the development of this system is the result of over 20 years of oil recovery experience.

By Dag Pike