Toolbox approach ‘can stave off disaster’

High-speed oil response technology finds a market in Caribbean

New developments in oil spill response technology have opened the way for response teams to deal more quickly and effectively with any given spill – and in particular to prevent the oil from reaching the shore – say European experts.

The idea is to use conventional booms and skimmers in tandem with recently developed high-speed systems that can recover oil over a wider area, even in difficult conditions. This approach has been dubbed the ‘toolbox concept’.
Oil recovery teams face a big challenge in areas with high currents, either offshore, on rivers, in channels or near the coast. The high-speed system was developed as a solution to this problem. The Norwegian company NOFI has had excellent results with its Current Buster system. It is described as “probably the best operational technology available when it comes to oil spill response in demanding conditions, high currents and when the oil has spread over a wide area. Its technology has been developed with the aim of boosting the efficiency of oil recovery as well as covering a larger area”.

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