Almost exactly 42 years ago when Baird Publications was established, pollution recovery vessels were unheard of. Several major oil spills, such as those involving the Amoco Cadiz and Exxon Valdez, and the inexorable growth of plastic waste in the sea have ended those clean and innocent days forever.
While the oil tanker sector, supported by the International Maritime Organisation, has almost completely eliminated the spectre of tanker-sourced oil spills, land-sourced, largely plastic, garbage has become a massive polluter of the marine and riverine environment.
In the 1980s, Greek-based HELMEPA proved that well over 90 per cent of marine pollution was land sourced. This led to a gradual awakening to this obvious fact and the development of an international resolve to do something to counter it.
Pollution prevention and recovery has since become an important sector of the wider workboat market. Its obvious objective is to prevent the spread of marine pollutants including sewage, chemicals, oil, plastics and other rubbish. Prevention has largely involved public consciousness raising and education. That has been remarkably successful in most developed countries but, unfortunately, less so elsewhere.
Pollution recovery, however, largely relies on a variety of static and active mechanical devices. They range from static traps and collectors in drains, streams and rivers to active mechanical collection equipment mounted on or as integral parts of a wide range of vessels.
While the static traps and collectors are generally very effective, this feature, for obvious reasons, concentrates on the active floating collection vessels and devices. They, also, are effective and continually becoming more so. For the remainder of this week Baird Maritime will present a range of the more interesting and newest examples.
Remember to come back every day to see the latest news, opinion and vessel reviews!
– "The whole ship's company were turned to employing vast quantities of Teepol detergent to clean it all up, with the spoiled cargo shipped ashore."
– by Michael Grey
In August, Sea Machines successfully demonstrated the capabilities of its SM300 autonomous-command and remote-control system in action aboard a Kvichak Marco skimmer boat, owned by MSRC, during events held along the harbour in Portland, Maine.
– by Nelson E Dela Cruz
Remember to come back every day to see the latest news, opinion and vessel reviews!
Any news or views about the global tug and salvage sectors? Send it through to editor@baird.com.au ASAP (between now and March 20), so we can add it to this current edition of Pollution Recovery Week!
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