This pamphlet on mechanical spill response is one of a series that provides an overview of oil spill prevention, planning, and response topics. Mechanical oil spill response uses physical barriers and mechanical devices to redirect and remove oil from the surface of the water. Where feasible and effective, this technique is preferable to other methods, since spilled oil is removed from the environment to be recycled or disposed of at appropriate facilities. Because effective mechanical containment and removal is severely restricted by wind, waves, and currents, only a small percentage of spilled oil has historically been recovered. This oil may be concentrated or redirected by deploying floating barriers, called booms.
Booms come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles.
They are used for concentrating oil so that it is thick enough to be skimmed, for keeping oil out of sensitive areas, or for diverting oil into collection areas. Just like the oil they are trying to corral, the success of booming as a strategy is dependent on currents, wind, and waves. These devices remove oil from the water's surface and are typically used with booms that concentrate the oil to make it thick enough to be skimmed efficiently. The effectiveness of the skimmer is determined by how quickly it can collect the oil, and how much water is mixed in with it. The oil collected by the skimmer is stored in a containment tank.