Booms can contain, exclude or deflect oil floating on the surface of the water. Boom size and style depend on conditions and method of deployment. Copyright Reuters

Satellite images are now used to show spills - Lebanon 2006

Korea spill 2007 - big spills utlimately mean a vast shoreline cleanup effort.

Syria 2006 - Buckets in use again.

Extensive effort was required to clean the heavy fuel oil from the shoreline.

North of Beirut - copyright of the Ministry of Environment, Lebanon

Suitability of equipment for the type of oil that is to be recovered and the environment should be considered.

Here the use of an earthen dam with underflow pipes is used to hold back the oil. Note that the working area can easily become contaminated.

Clean-up operations can generate huge amounts of oily waste.

Common contractor style booms are often stored and transported in trailers and trucks. They are somewhat bulky to handle

Pumps are an important part of a skimming system.

Portable vacuum systems may be easier to transport to the spill site.

Here a couple of different booms are seen deployed in a river. Once dried out the boom does not sit upright on the land.

Oil can be dispersed on the water using special chemicals. The dispersant chemical breaks up the oil for faster degradation.

Dispersant has to be applied in the correct manner to work effectively. It can only be used in open sea with approvals from the authorities.

Booms and equipment will need to be decontaminated following a spill. An area will need to be established with pressure washers, degreasers etc.

Personnel will need protective clothing, and safety equipment. Above all safety of personnel must be considered. Working with spills can be dangerous work.

Ships and boats will become covered with oil. The amount of cleaning required will depend on the kind of oil spilt. Heavy fuel oils are the worst.

The Prestige oil spill in Spain demonstrated how far oil can spread on the sea. The vessel sank 100 miles offshore.

Trash can cause considerable problems and add to the cost and time for the cleanup. It should be removed before becoming oiled.

You have got to be kidding!

The Prestige spill contaminated a vast distance of shoreline.

Phillipines suffered a major spill in 2006.