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Spate of oil spills highlight importance of containment booms
Published on 20 May ‘19
Oil booms: Oil boom types and functions explained

Oil Booms, also often referred to as Oil Spill Containment Booms, are primarily used to contain oil spills to prevent further damage to the marine environment. In this post, we’ll explain the different oil boom types and their functions.

Where can oil booms be used?

Oil booms can be implemented in ports, harbors, pipeline and intake projects, and in marinas and waterways as well, to protect them from oil spills. In addition, they can also serve to protect marine areas from unwanted debris.

The four types of oil booms

We have four oil boom types under the brand name Ecobarrier. Foam-Filled Oil Booms, Solid Flotation Oil Booms, Harbour Oil Booms and Emergency Oil Booms. Each is designed for specific environmental conditions and project durations.

Ecobarrier Foam-Filled Oil Booms

Suitable for short-term installations and calm water environments. The booms can be deployed much faster than any other oil boom, due to their lightweight construction.

Foam filled oil boom

Our Ecobarrier® Foam-Filled Oil Booms are typically used for static or low current applications, featuring a series of flat panels that float on the water to contain oil and debris.

The floats are closed-cell to avoid taking up any water. Manufactured in UV stabilized PVC membrane fabric, the booms are fitted with zipties (class I) or ASTM slide connectors (class II) for easy coupling of the panels and quick deployment.

They can be deployed much faster than any other containment boom, due to their design, and come in five sizes.

Ecobarrier Solid Flotation Booms

Ecobarrier® Solid Flotation Oil Booms are suitable for longer term installations and low to high currents. These are general purpose booms that operate with little maintenance and provide years of performance.

These oil booms can be deployed in various water environments, ranging from low to moderate and high currents.

They are general purpose booms that will provide years of performance. The booms are made of UV-stabilized PVC membrane with chain ballast, grab handles and anchor points, making it easy to install.

They are available in different sizes and tensile strengths. We also provide solutions for custom requirements.

Ecobarrier Harbour Booms

Heavy-duty, durable oil booms suitable for permanent installations.

Ecobarrier Oil Booms

Our permanent boom – the Ecobarrier® Harbour Oil Boom – is a heavy-duty, durable oil boom designed to stay in the water for years with minimum maintenance.

Typical installations include petrochemical shipping terminals, desalination plants and marinas.

The boom is constructed of very durable high tensile material. Its floats are rotary-moulded, foam filled, long and wide, providing superior buoyancy and high stability in rough water, and eliminating the need for bottom ballast to keep the boom upright.

Ecobarrier Emergency Booms

More about these booms in this blogpost:

New emergency oil boom tested in Kalba

End-to-end solutions

Besides product design and delivery, Ecocoast can provide the full service cycle of installation, maintenance and removal.

Our contracting background allows us to offer tried and tested products. As the Ecobarrier® range has been used on our own projects, we know what works and what does not work.

More details here about the Ecobarrier oil boom range. 

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