What is the Purpose of The Marine Spill Kit and How to Use it?
Marine spills don’t have to be big to affect the environment. If a spill occurs, you need a marine spill kit to rapidly contain the situation and absorb the oil.
Oil and chemical spills in marine settings can be hazardous. They contaminate the water and coat marine wildlife — but the dangers aren’t limited to animals. Mangroves and seagrass can also be affected, which can destroy habitats for a variety of marine life.
In the case of large spills, Australia’s National Plan goes into action. However, many spills are smaller and attributed to factories improperly storing fuel and other hydrocarbons or from personal boats. In these cases, the individual or company must take responsibility and use a spill kit to clear the mess.
What Is a Marine Spill Kit?
Around 3.2 million tonnes of oil end up in the ocean every year. Some of these are newsworthy and massive spills. Many smaller accidents also occur that the companies responsible must clean up. Marine spill kits make it possible to clean up an oil or fuel spill, even on water.
What Is the Purpose of the Marine Spill Kit?
When oil or fuel spills into water, it is lighter than the water. This means it will float on the surface, but it can be very difficult to separate out. It’s slippery, so it will slide away from scoops and other attempts to remove it with improper equipment.
The purpose of a marine spill kit is first to contain the oil, so it doesn’t spread out too far. Then, absorbent materials soak up the oil. These materials sit on top of the water and, once filled with the contaminants, are easy to scoop or suck up with the right equipment. The spill can be all but eliminated with just this method. However, special pads will soak up the last of the oil to ensure it doesn’t poison the ecosystem.
When Do You Need a Marine Spill Kit?
Since 80% of marine pollution comes from land incidents, it’s important to prevent the oils from ever reaching the ocean in the first place. A marine spill kit is useful on land, as well. At the first sign of a leak or a spill, personnel should take measures to contain it. The booms included in the kit help contain the spill. They can prevent the spill from continuing into the sea.
If the spill does reach the water, you can use the booms to corral the oil and prevent it from spreading. The kit can immediately help remove all traces of chemicals and oil, as it can be very harmful to marine life and only takes a short time to affect fish, birds, sea turtles, and more.
How to Use the Marine Spill Kit
If a spill occurs in the water, you’ll need to use your marine spill kit to eliminate as much of the spill as possible. The fluidity of water can make this a difficult task if you aren’t sure how to use it, so you should know how to use the marine spill kit.
You’ll have booms in the kit to help contain the spill. Take care when setting these up. Attach one end to a stable anchor point and place the rest of the boom at an angle to direct the spill.
Next, you’ll need to spread the kit’s loose absorbent materials over the spill area, with a boom downstream from it. You can use the skimmer to scoop up the oil-filled absorbent. Once you’ve cleaned up the majority of the spill, you can use the absorbent pads to soak up any remaining liquid contaminants.
Where to Find Marine Spill Kits
Do you work in an industry where spills may occur? You can find marine spill kits and general-purpose spill kits at Ecospill. We offer kits that are designed for specific situations so you’ll have exactly what you need when a spill occurs.
Ready to protect the environment and your workplace? Contact us today to learn more.