Fast oil recovery (FOR) is a term comprising various innovative systems which can be built into a new

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

or integrated into an old ship, thus facilitating efficient and safe removal of an

oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...

from a wrecked vessel. The drastic consequences resulting from an oil spill, especially damages to

marine life Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. At a fundamental level, marine life affects the nature of the planet. M ...

, has resulted in an increased demand for ships more prepared to respond to a possible oil accident. There are about 50 million ships in North America, and c. 1% leak oil into the waters. Ships that do not leak oil into the ship's

bilge water The bilge of a ship or boat is the part of the hull that would rest on the ground if the vessel were unsupported by water. The "turn of the bilge" is the transition from the bottom of a hull to the sides of a hull. Internally, the bilges (usu ...

have installed fast oil recovery systems (FORS), with the goal of eliminating all oil-contaminated bilge water. Their systems remove 99.9% of the oil in a vessel's

bilge The bilge of a ship or boat is the part of the hull that would rest on the ground if the vessel were unsupported by water. The "turn of the bilge" is the transition from the bottom of a hull to the sides of a hull. Internally, the bilges (usu ...

, saving thousands of dollars. Such systems are used instead of absorbent pads and

filters Filter, filtering or filters may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream * Filter (video), a software component tha ...

due to the latter being messier, more expensive, and requiring high maintenance. Many companies like JLMD and Blue Water have started making these systems to help the environment. Research has shown that during wreckages, groundings, and other

crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

situations, the oil, trapped in the ship, requires complex procedures and technologies for recovery. Ship-owners, shipping authorities, salvage companies, and others can experience difficulties reaching the tanks to pump out the remaining

pollutant A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oi ...

s on board. The weaknesses of current procedures and the lack of equipment on board of the ship is often apparent in such endeavors.

References

External links

*https://archive.today/20130216013045/http://www.fastoilrecovery.com/home.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20131105183425/http://www.bwesglobal.com/oilrecovery.htm Oil spill remediation technologies {{Environment-stub