Apart from the direct environmental impact, the financial and public relations implications associated with an unforeseen pollution incident can be extremely damaging.

It is estimated that over 30 million gallons of oil is leaked from ships during normal operations in ports and harbours every year more than three times the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Machinery failure and human error are the major contributing factors. According to industry data, leakages of five to 1,000 tons have dropped dramatically in the last few years, but those under five tons have eased only marginally.

Swift initial containment response not only reduces environmental impact but also demonstrates that the responsible company or organisation has effectively planned to mitigate the risks associated with such unfortunate but inevitable incidents.

Over 80% of reported oil spills occur within port and harbour areas. However, the majority are small in size and result from normal operations such as loading and bunkering (MPCU 1997).

Sea Spill, a launchable emergency response containment system, has been specifically designed to provide a cost effective solution to these issues Launched from Restech range of PLT maxi and mini pneumatic systems, with extended range capabilities offered by SeaSam, the Sea Spill is effective even in strong wind and rough sea states.

The Sea Spill double depth inflatable containment boom can be launched beyond the spill, for a distance of 30 to 50 metres (or up to 100m in conjunction with SeaSam) and then steered to encircle the affected area. The pollutants can then be drawn safely back to a ship or harbour-side for safe recovery via suction or absorption pillows.

Apart from extended launch range, the Sea Spill has several other enhanced features to assist in effective pollutant recovery. The inflatable boom is weighted to improve rough weather containment, weighted boom ends ensure containment against a vessel side and luminescent boom lighting technology assists with night-time recovery operations.