21 March 2012, Sweetcrude, Lagos – Great relief may have come the way of oil companies operating in Nigeria and West Africa who are still battling hard to check the menace of oil spillage in their local communities as a new product certified capable to solve the problem is now available in the country.
The new product known as “Oil Spill Safety Kit” is an effective equipment made in The Netherlands specifically to mop up oil spillage and it is seen as the latest technological innovation for a better and safe oil industry.
The unique features of the new product according to its manufacturers SPS Innovation Investments include an Oil Swallow which extracts spilled oil as soon as it is launched into the area affected by oil spillage as well as a Power pack, floating oil bladder and booms all of which makes the equipment to perform at optimal capacity.
“The Oil Swallow is an automated and adjustable down-draft system that performs skimming activities. It has the capability to recover a broad range of oils, from gasoline to crude oil as soon as it is launched into an area affected by oil spillage” says Mr. Rolf Westerhof, a representative of the manufacturers, SPS Innovation Investments BV, based in Schagen, The Netherlands.
According to him, his company decided to come up with this new oil spill clearing device because governments world-wide now implement new safety regulations with new global agreements on safety procedures for drilling and transportation just as NGO’S are pushing for additional regulations for preventing and sanctioning oil spill.
Mr. Westerhof disclosed that one standard oil spill safety kit could be used to mop up oil spill from oil rigs, oil tankers, oil production platforms, sea ports, refineries, sea going vessels as well as polluted areas.
Also speaking on the product, The Nigerian Representative of the manufacturers, Mr Tunde Okeowo described the new Oil Spill Safety Kit as “an innovative system which can effectively be used to clear oil spillage and protect the environment.”
“It is a vital instrument to clear spilled oil. It pumps the spilled oil/water into a recovered oil storage facility such as an oil tanker, barge or floating bladder when it is launched into any area affected by oil spillage. It will adjust the intake capacity to the thickness of the oil layer. The device cleans spills at high speed and accuracy.”
“The Oil Swallow can pump up to 250 m3 / hour. That is 6,000 m3 per 24 hour of oil/water ratio of up to 70%
of crude oil and 30% water. One Oil Swallow kit could clean up as much as 37.500 barrels of oil/water per day. The Oil Swallow kit is tested to operate in rough weather conditions with waves of up to at least 2.5 meters, (8.2 feet). However in real practice, it can perform in even worse conditions. The Oil Swallow can operate round-the-clock for at least 10,000 hours.” Okeowo explained.
Mr Okeowo who is a director of BussyTee Global Concept Limited, the representatives of the manufacturers in Nigeria explained that the oil swallow kit can work for 24 hours non-stop pumping and cleaning up oil spill.
He stressed that the product is built with a focus on low maintenance costs, low running costs and it is easy to operate adding that on-site service of the equipment is also possible.
According to him, the Oil Swallow Kit has been tested by the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority and the Dutch TNO Institute of Environmental Sciences and both organizations independently confirmed the efficiency of the equipment in cleaning up oil spills.
Speaking on the mobility of the product, Okeowo disclosed that when transport is needed, the Oil Spill Safety Kit container can be moved by boat, truck or even helicopter and it will be ready to operate within 1 hour.
He urged companies, governments and communities with oil spill problems to try the new product which according to him will revolutionize the industry approach to managing oil spills stressing that such utilization in the industry will contribute to safety, brand reputation management, corporate social responsibility and sustainable entrepreneurship.
“Shareholders do not reward Oil spills, loss of production as well as the negative media that trails every oil spillage, this product is a ready solution to oil spill problems which always attract negative image and bad publicity for most oil producing companies in Africa and beyond.” Okeowo stated.