Interspill 2015 - On Water Demonstrations
Brad and Matt recently made the annual pilgrimage to this year’s spill conference which happened to be Interspill in Amsterdam. The conference covered spill prevention, preparedness and response, and was accompanied by an exhibition which showcased the latest equipment being launched on the global market.
Interspill 2015 - On water demos
On the first day of Interspill, we were fortunate enough to observe a display by members of the Dutch spill response group in Amsterdam’s harbour.
We found ourselves sitting in the comfort of an enclosed vessel, given the outside temperature sat close to zero. In here, the port operators took us through the equipment and techniques they use in the harbour.
Two unique pieces of equipment from KOSEQ grabbed our attention.
The first was a very simple ridged-arm sweeping system packed in a small containerised unit. The real benefit of this unit is that it can be used on a wide range of vessels - from small bunker vessels to a larger offshore suppliers. The system includes a knuckle boom crane, power pack and ballast tanks for extra stability.
The boom arm is lowered into the water and the slick is channelled into a pump-well located toward the back part of the arm. This is where the oil/water mixture is pumped to storage tanks on board the vessel. (See the first picture to the left.)
The second KOSEQ system was similar in concept but featured a V-formation boom arm and its movement came from being pushed by the vessel. The benefit of this kind of system is its speed. It has the potential to travel at speeds faster than a boom sweep and the angle of the sweep can be adjusted by one operator. The dual function also enables the unit to collect oil or floating debris. (See the picture to the right)
The Dutch spill response team also demonstrated an array of other equipment, from floating sweeps similar to our polypropylene sweep through to the Desmi Speed Sweep. (See the second picture to the left)
For more information on these, or any of our containment products, please feel free to contact our friendly team.