USA: Florida Builder Launches Assault on Oil Spills with State of the Art Oil Skimming Vessel

Coastal Environmental Services, an affiliate of Coastal Construction Group, one of the nation’s leading general contractors with more than $1.2 billion in current projects, has launched a new line of oil skimming boats that promises to leave conventional skimming vessels in its wake.

The 38’ Near Shore Rapid Response Oil Recovery Vessel (NSRRV) functions as a skimmer, separator and transporter. It can be driven through oil of any thickness and recover oil from depths of up to three feet below the surface. The NSRRV was tested and proven at the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility (OHMSETT), which provides independent and objective performance testing of full-scale oil spill response equipment, to be capable of collecting 100 percent of heavy oil and 90 percent of oil sheen while effectively collecting and storing tar balls.

“The NSRRV is the most effective, economical and reliable boat in the industry,” said Erin Murphy, Vice President of Coastal Environmental Services. “It is highly maneuverable, can spin within its own length, is trailerable, self launching and can be activated quickly whenever an oil spill is detected.”

The one-of-a-kind design allows for oil and water to pass through the entry slot beneath the vessel’s inclined bow. The mixture then enters the large open well where the velocity of the fluid slows naturally, allowing the oil to separate and rise. Clean water then exits through slots located at the bottom of the well.

Powered by twin 150 horsepower outboards, the boat features a quick discharge/pump-out rate from an onboard well with a capacity of up to 2,500 gallons (60 barrels). Suction equipment can pump oil directly from the boat well onto a barge or pump station. Additionally, there are no moving parts in the skimming process resulting in a virtually maintenance free operation.

“Other oil skimming vessels on the market only collect oil from the first few inches of the surface of the water, and they have multiple mechanisms and moving parts in the skimming operation,” said Murphy. “Our new unit recovers oil from depths up to three feet below the surface, and has no moving parts in the skimming operation that would require ongoing maintenance.”

The oil spill clean-up from the Deepwater Horizon well continues to be a major operation involving scores of vessels. It is the largest spill of its kind in history, and current calculations agree that in excess of 200 million gallons gushed into the Gulf. Recent studies from the University of Georgia and testimony from Bill Lehr, the senior scientist at NOAA, estimate 70-80% of the oil remains in the Gulf and detailed evidence has confirmed a Manhattan-sized oil plume measuring 22 miles long and a mile wide drifting 3,000 feet below the surface. Many scientists say it is too early to judge the severity of the environmental damage caused by the leak.

“As long as we continue to drill for oil in our seas, the potential for a spill exists,” said Tom Murphy, Jr., chairman and CEO of Coastal Construction Group. “Rapid recovery vessels like the NSRRV are a safeguard for communities and for companies that drill.”

Coastal Environmental Services has conducted oil skimming services in the Gulf, and played an integral role in the skimming and clean-up efforts of the recent oil leak in Barataria Bay in southeastern Louisiana.

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Source: coastalskimmer, October 14, 2010;