Containment and recovery (Civilian Flotilla)

By pgray

May 19, 2010, 9:32PM

A large and growing chunk of the Gulf is covered with a layer of $70 per barrel oil. If you have a sea-worthy boat and maritime expertise, you can contain and recover AND SELL that oil.
Anyone with a vessel suitable for deploying booms on the open ocean can assist in the containment of the Gulf Slick. You will need to deploy a chain of booms around an area of slick. You will then need a mechanism to tighten the boom chain, reducing the enclosed area and deepening the trapped oil. One method would be to support the boomline with 3/8 cable. To close your trap, thread the free end of the cable through the first boom and reel in the cable, detaching booms as you go. As the oil deepens, it will reduce wave action, preventing emulsification, as well as splashing and wind-borne spray. The excess booms can then be used to contain another portion of the slick. Extend a tube connected to your pump and storage tank beneath the boom chain. An auxiliary fuel tank with 5000 gallon capacity will hold almost 1200 barrels or $8400 worth of crude. On the end of this tube, fit a flat piece of material heavier than oil, but lighter than water such that it will support the mouth of the tube above the waterline, but immersed in oil. As the oil is recovered, continue to tighten the boom line to maintain the flow of oil into the pipe. It may be necessary to attach floats and weights to the tube to maintain optimum position in varying conditions. As lighter fractions are recovered, the degrading oil beneath the surface can be recovered. Adjustment of the intake depth may be required. Recovery vessels must be vented to prevent buildup of volatile gases.
For those with barges, go for the mother-lode. Encircle the area where new oil surfaces. Employ multiple intakes to stop the slick.
If you are interested, or know others who might want to get in on this. pass it on. If you have questions or comments, please respond Thanks Phil 903-780-5644

Pack n send has been monitoring web sites with comments about the oil spill. While most of them are discussing blame, we found this on the City of New Orlans web site. It is one of the comments listed that not only offered a possible solution, but also suggests a call to action.

While pack n send can ship their cargo out of the port of Houston, businesses in New Orleans are directly impacted by this oil spill. Trucking of cargo to the port of Houston will cost businesses additional expenses that could have been avoided.

Phil has sent this to Horizon support - a task force put together by the government and BP. Phil is still waiting to hear if they are going to use his idea. The coast guard also puts their ideas through Horizon support. He is hoping that the government will raise the depth of the spill and then surround the spill with barges. Private industry could help in this recovery since they already have 5000 gallon auxiliary tanks.

For information on cargo shipping out of the port of Houston, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.