Boom for containing oil spills and methods of deploying and retrieving same

摘要

A boom includes a plurality of boom sections joined end to end. Each boom section includes two or more parallel inflatable chambers which are joined with a weighted curtain which is reinforced for strength. Boom sections are stored compactly on respective reels. A substantial number of reels are arranged compactly in the hold of a carrier vessel which is smaller in size and has greater speed and maneuverability than vessels carrying known oil spill containment systems. Boom sections are consecutively unwound from their respective reels and connected end-to- end as they are deployed to form a continuous boom. The boom sections unwind naturally from the reels as the carrier vessel moves through the water away from a tender vessel holding the first end of the boom. The boom's deployment is controlled by a brake on an idler roller and a hydraulic crane's drive wheel on the reel, thus limiting manual handling to lighter-weight tasks. the carrier vessel, or, preferably, the tender vessel may inflate the chambers of the boom sections as they are deployed. The system is self-contained, as the carrier vessel is adapted to carry the tender vessel on its aft deck, releasing it when arriving at the spill site. Also, the tender can simultaneously deploy two substantially parallel booms, allowing an oil spill to be controllably segmented into smaller oil spills which are anchored or towed to calmer waters to await skimmer vessels.