Development of a Remotely Operated Subsea Containment Boom Anchor

Abstract

Abstract The timely deployment of oil spill response resources is a key factor that influences response success. This is particularly true in river environments where high flow rates can quickly move oil long distances. A key success factor for a river spill is safe and rapid deployment of diversion boom. Current practice for deploying diversion boom in a river requires placing personnel in boats and then setting anchors in the river bed to hold one end of the boom. This process is both time consuming and potentially puts personnel at risk. A new system under development is designed to reduce response time and keep personnel off the water during the initial response. The system, referred to as ROSE (Remotely Operated Subsea Equipment), is a semi-permanent mooring that rests on a river bed or sea bottom. The mooring consists of a highly buoyant float connected to the mooring base. Anchor ropes attached to the buoyant float remain coiled within the mooring until release. The system is pre-deployed at priority locations determined during contingency response planning. If a spill occurs, an acoustic signal releases the float to act as an immediate anchor for diversion boom. Further, for many types of rivers, the anchor ropes attached to the float can be retrieved from shore, keeping response personnel off the water. This allows one end of the boom to be anchored in the river while the other end is anchored to the shore. Initial testing confirmed the potential of the concept. Based on the initial testing, further modifications were made to the ROSE design to increase its robustness.