CLEANUP EFFICIENCY OF A FUEL OIL SPILL IN COLD WEATHER

Abstract

ABSTRACT When the difficulties imposed by the ice and snow conditions and the lack of previous experience with spills in ice-infested waters are considered, the cleanup effort at Buzzards Bay was commendable; roughly 89,000 liters (28 percent) of oil were recovered. Of the cleanup techniques used, shore-based vacuum skimming was most successful. Contaminated ice removal was least successful. Burning of oil pools was not used extensively but showed some promise. Modifications of the vacuum skimming technique to prevent the vacuum lines from freezing are recommended. In addition, expanded use of burning and the endless rope skimming techniques are recommended for future spills in similar environmental conditions. Only pooled oil should be collected; oil incorporated in ice should be allowed to go to sea. Removal of shorefast ice is not recommended. The Marco and the Lockheed skimmers were not effective at Buzzards Bay, but may be applicable under similar circumstances if modified or used in a stationary position. Adopting the above recommendations could improve cleanup efficiency at future spills; however, further research in modifying existing equipment and development of new equipment for all types of cold climates will be necessary if significant progress is to be made.