If rare or endemic species are present, such as in the case of the Galapagos spill, then action should be taken quickly. If the spill occurs in deep water, or if the spill is headed quickly towards a sensitive area, the oil can be dispersed. Dispersal requires a receiving environment that must be more than 20m in depth. Chemicals and biological agents are added to the water to break up the oil into its chemical components. However, containment is only effective on calm seas, otherwise, the oil is splashed above the barrier.
Sorbents are special sponges that are used to soak up the oil.
The sponges must be disposed of carefully so that they don't leak the oil back into the water. The sponges also become saturated quickly, so can only be used for small amounts of oil . To remove oil that has washed up on beaches, high and low pressures hoses can be used. Special trucks vacuum oil off of beaches or in the water. This also takes up a lot of sand with the oil.