Implementation and Effect of Major Oil Recovery System Exercises
Kazunori Nagai
No.4 Sea of Japan Stockpile Base in Niigata

1. Exercise period: Two days, May 19-20, 1999
2. Weather conditions during exercise
Wind speed
At start of exercise
10~12mDuring exercise
10~13mDuring 180° turn15~16mAt discontinuation of exercise 16~18m

Wind direction
SouthWestSouthwestWest

Wave height
1.0m
1.5m
2.5m
2.5m

* We encountered a weather phenomenon unique to the Sea of Japan in May, withsudden gusts of wind generated when the wind direction turned west.
3. Content of marine exercise
1) Deploying the boom in J formation
2) Simulated oil recovery by using skimmer
3) Capturing a target buoy4) Making a 180° turn on the starboard
4. Pre-exercising conditions
Postponement of oil bag deployment* Deployment was postponed because of the weather conditions encountered when thetraining team arrived at the site. (The strong winds would have made it difficult torecover the oil bag ashore.)
5. Exercise
The exercise was designed to improve oil recovery skills through an operating exercise
based on the scenario of an large oil spill occurring over a wide area of open sea.
Exercise was implemented four kilometers off the coast of Niigata West-port with theparticipants from six Stockpile Bases in Japan.
Exercise was conducted in conjunction with the commissioning and testing of theTransrec system, which was the first large-scale oil-recovery system to be installed on
the west coast of Japan.

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The main purpose of the training exercise was to practice the following tasks: tobecome familiar with the equipment and proficient in its deployment, operation andrecovery.
* Boom deployment in a J formation
We were told to keep the following three points in mind as we directed theparticipants before the boom was deployed:
1) Make sure to have close communications between sections (provideinformation).
2) Keep a close eye on wind direction, wind speed, and currents.
3) Always watch the status of the cross-bridle rope .
With the above three instructions in mind, I entered into the bridge of the main ship tobegin directing the exercise. When we saw the rough seas and the readings on theship’s anemoscope and anemometer, however, I could not help having some anxiety
about the safety and execution of the exercise. Nevertheless, with the backing of allparticipants, I decided to proceed with the exercise.
While we were deploying the boom at right angles to the axis of principal vessel at thebeginning, I received a request from the boom operator to turn the vessel to thestarboard to modify the angle of the boom. Doing so, however, would have brought
the deployment direction of boom into conflict with the wind direction, so the request
was denied.
In order to make a J formation in increasingly strong winds, I directed the towingboatAkashiyamaru to gradually modify its course toward the front of the principal vessel
Shin-Nichimaru’s prow. During this time, several air-rings in the boom lost air andthe boom operator refilled the air chamber by using the backup system.(We received
advice from the boom manufacturer saying that there is a high probability of air
leaking from the air-rings when the boom is deployed on windy days, and that
deployment should only be attempted with a backup system connected.)
Because of the high waves and wind, it proved extremely difficult to keep the crossbridle-rope at right angles to the axis of the principal vessel Shin-Nichimaru. For
this reason, it was necessary to constantly adjust the length of the cross-bridle-ropes toprevent it from breaking and to maintain the boom in a J- formation.
The high winds also pushed the skimmer head close to the principal vessel ShinNichimaru, and threatened to push it through the gap between the stern of the principal
vessel and the rear end of the boom.

2Perhaps because of this, the Transrec operator had difficulty to verify the skimmer’s
position and asked for assistance to modify the skimmer’s position from the bridge
commander.
For the buoy capture exercise, a buoy was placed about 300m in front of the towingvessel Akashiyamaru. Despite the bad weather conditions (wind speed of 16m, wave
height of 2m), the buoy was successfully captured without breaking the J formation.
A 180° turn on the starboard was then started in the midst of increasingly harsh windand waves. In the middle of the starboard turn, however, the J-formation of the boom
was largely broken down by the influence of the high wind and waves.
As the wind and waves grew stronger, it was decided that completion of the starboardturn would be impossible, and the turn was abandoned. At that point, the exercise
were discontinued due to the safety reason.
*Weather conditions at the time the exercise was discontinued
Wind speed: 16~18m
Wave height: 2.5m
Wind direction: West
Picking up the suggestion of Mr.Sakai, salvage muster of Shinnichimaru, the crossbridle and towing ropes were let go and the boom was allowed to stream behind theprincipal vessel.
At this time, the officer of the marine security agency who was onboard as a observer
ordered us to put two pilot vessels in front of and behind the principal vessel ShinNichimaru and to tune to the channel 16 which is for emergency radio contact.
With these precautions taken, the principal vessel was designated area outside of
Niigata west port and we started to retrieve the boom, which was streamed behind theprincipal vessel. Retrieving the boom was accomplished by adjusting the ShinNichimaru’s direction in a way that made boom retrieval smoothly and safe ly.
6. Points of issues and impression
The inexperience of the commander made it difficult to fully grasp the overall situationand impossible to provide well-timed information to each operating section. It
seemed especially difficult to respond adequately to changing weather conditions,which are difficult to predict. But I think we will be able to respond more adequately tothese difficulties by repeating exercises and accumulating experience. At the sametime, all of the operators participated in this exercise discovered that they could operate
the Transrec system even in stormy weather, and this served them to have a very littleconfidence in their operation.

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