Oil Spill Management

Contain Oil Spills in a Given Area

A major concern with drilling and exploration for hydrocarbons is the risk of an oil spill and its impact on the environment. Oil spills during inland waterway transport are also a risk.

Bubble curtains can act as a containment wall in the event of an oil spill around drilling platforms and other flatwater facilities such as a marina or seaport.

The installation is done with Bubble Tubing® submerged on the seabed. By injecting compressed air in sufficient quantity and pressure, a water current effect is produced which creates a bubble barrier which is difficult to penetrate by floating elements such as petroleum molecules. The hydrocarbons are thus trapped behind the bubble line and it is then possible to contain the expansion of the oil slick and implement decontamination methods.

More and more port authorities and government bodies are contacting us to install a bubble curtain at a port entrance or around the boat used for refueling in order to act upstream to prevent a spill. Indeed, a Bubble Tubing® system can be installed in advance and put into operation during an environmental emergency.