[Nils]

Hi all,

I am studying for a Masters in Product Design Engineering at Glasgow University/Glasgow School of Art and I am currently looking at potential design challenges for my final year project.

I am interested in the response to oil spills from ships having witnessed the effects of the tanker 'Full City' spilling its cargo in Norway earlier this summer. There is a large amount of equipment available for dealing with spills; booms, skimmers etc, but I was wondering if there is anything specifically designed to be carried by ships and deployed, in the event of them running aground, as a first response to a spill.

If not then is there a place for a product to aid ships and their crew in reducing the damage/spread of a spillage before more large-scale equipment arrives on scene?

I am very keen to hear your thoughts on this.

Cheers,

Nils Aksnes

[admin]

I believe the International Maritime Organization looked into this some years ago and came to the conclusion that the ships crew have a first priority to look after and manage the ship, rather than respond to a spill

[Nils]

Thanks for your response.

I have read a report by ITOPF which discussed this topic and came to similar conclusions, however as it was written nearly 10 years ago I am interested in what the thinking on this topic is currently. Obviously any onboard response equipment would have to take into account that the safety of the crew is a priority, for example it could be designed to require minimal human input once put it place.

My project is in the very early stages at the moment (it runs for the full year) and I am very keen to investigate all aspects of oil spills in order to find a problem to pursue. I would welcome your thoughts on areas that could provide a good design challenge. This could be a problem with a piece of equipment or process which currently frustrates the people who use it or hinders the effective cleaning up of and oil spill.

Cheers,

Nils

[admin]

Dear Nils

One of the areas that is currently being evaluated and could withstand some further study is the actual recovery rates of oil skimmers. The ASTM committee has just passed a new test method for evaluating oil skimmer capacity on a variety of oil groups. This standard was based on research conducted by SL Ross on four or five skimmers. It would be beneficial to the community to expand this testing to gain a better appreciation of the limits and capabilities of equipment. Good luck

Stewart