EMSA response
The European Maritime Safety Agency’s (EMSA) contracted oil response vessel in Varna, Bulgaria, is now better equipped to handle potential spills after a recent refit.
Enterprise’s main role is as a supply ship supporting offshore installations in the Black Sea.
And the vessel has now been fitted with a new Weir Boom 180 system, a combined containment and recovery system designed for response operations after larger oil spills and well ‘blow-outs’.
Louis Baumard, EMSA , told Maritime Journal that the revised EMSA Founding Regulation (Reg. (EU) 100/2013) has broadened the Agency’s mandate in the field of pollution response including the marine pollution caused by oil and gas installations. Accordingly, EMSA is now requested to respond to oil spills from offshore platforms.
Mr Baumard told MJ: “Weir Boom 180 is designed to cope with massive oil spills and oil well “blow-outs”. The system is equipped with a fully autonomous source of hydraulic power. This option could be beneficial especially in cases of large scale spills where the two oil recovery systems could be used at the same time, for example an EMSA vessel with a primary system and the vessel of opportunity with the Weir Boom.”
The boom was manufactured by the UK’s VIKOMA, which has comprehensive experience in fabricating different kinds of oil spill response equipment. Adaptation works to the vessel were carried out by the contractor and vessel’s owner Bon Marine, based in Varna, Bulgaria.
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