Patent ID: 6881335

Claim:
An apparatus for containing contaminants floating on the surface of a body of water comprising: a tapered channel portion defined by two side-defining faces that diverge from one another from a narrow inner end to a wider opening end, said tapered channel portion being movable by a towing force; said two side-defining faces include a freeboard and a skirt; a wedge-shaped structure at said narrow inner end of said tapered channel portion with a wide end toward said tapered channel portion; a collecting portion at a narrow end of said wedge-shaped structure; said tapered channel portion, said wedge-shaped structure and said collecting portion form an integrated unit arranged in sequence and form a continuous hull; at least two longitudinal towing devices fastened respectively to each of said two side-defining faces, said wedge-shaped structure and said collecting portion, wherein said longitudinal towing devices intersect in an area at the narrow end of said wedge-shaped structure when the towing force is applied; wherein said integrated unit is composed of non-rigid materials; and said integrated unit becomes rigid when the towing force is applied to said longitudinal towing devices.