The compact and rugged buoy system is designed for short term monitoring (up to 24 months) and emergency deployment in sheltered coastal and inshore areas, where deployment from a small vessel, or by a single person, may be required. The lightweight and low cost buoy is easily handled by one person in the field, weighing just 25kg, and being only 60cm in diameter and 2.0m in overall length.

Detection of hydrocarbons in the water column is performed by a submersible sensor. Sensors are available for both crude oil and refined fuels, and are protected from collision damage within the robust central structure. This has been designed to accommodate a multi-parameter sonde or similar instrument, meaning the system can also be equipped with a range of sensors to measure and report other water quality parameters.