Boom demand sparks boom times for Vikoma

Now recorded as the largest accidental spill in history, the incident in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to bring about a wave of change and possibly legislation regarding preparing for and responding to spills. Estimates put the spill at almost 5m barrels of oil, of which about 800,000 barrels are thought to have been recovered.

Isle of Wight UK based Vikoma supplied approximately 5,000m of boom to responders in the Gulf and a large quantity of skimming systems to assist with the clean up. Vikoma is well placed to help operators and responders equip themselves for response to high volume offshore spills. For many years the company has been developing equipment which is designed to make deployment easier and faster, and therefore assist in faster containment and recovery of spilled oil.

In light of the recent large spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the need to contain and recover large quantities of oil quickly has become more and more apparent. The logistics of recovering oil in offshore environments are challenging to say the least.

Vikoma first introduced the Weir Boom, a combined containment and recovery system in the mid 1970’s, designed specifically for high volume recovery of large offshore spills. The system uses a water ballasted neoprene boom with a series of integral weir skimmers which can be deployed quickly at the scene and can operate continuously to recover oil at up to 210m³ per hour, around the clock if required.

The Weir Boom has now been re-launched with new features and improved handling to make it more efficient, faster to deploy and easier to use. The system is available in three versions: Weir Boom 210, Weir Boom 180 and The Cusp Weir Boom. Weir Boom 210 has a series of four weirs and can recover oil at up to 210m³ /hr, Weir Boom 180 has an array of three weirs and can recover oil at up to 180m³/hr, whilst the Cusp Weir Boom can recover oil at up to 100m³/hr.

The Cusp Weir Boom was developed in direct response to customer requirements to produce a more compact system that could be transported urgently by airfreight. It uses the same principles as the Weir Boom, adapted for use in a smaller 8 m section of curved boom that can be used with 30m deflector booms and as a side sweep system. One of the key benefits of the Weir Boom is its compact size and weight. The system is packaged for easy transportation and does not require the use of deck cranes to deploy it from a ship.

A measure of Vikoma’s success is the recent opening ofanew factory and headquarters. The 50,000 sq/ft premise is set on a two acre site in East Cowes. The new building provides a larger, improved manufacturing facility fitted out with new plant and equipment, as well as new office space for company headquarters.

The large quantities of equipment needed for the Gulf of Mexico spill have seen Vikoma ramp up production to meet demand, implementing new systems, increasing staffing levels by almost one third over the past three months and moving to round the clock production.

The recent pipeline spill in China’s Dalian River has highlighted the requirement for spill response equipment in that country and Vikoma has recently opened a designated office in Bejing.