Swedish water treatment firm SurfCleaner has entered into a global partnership with maritime pollution mapping specialist Eyesea to minimise the effects of nearshore oil spills.
Eyesea maps analyses and supports the recovery of pollution and maritime hazards using a portfolio of tech tools. The partnership between the two is set to focus on monitoring and minimizing the effect of oil spills in nearshore areas such as ports, harbours, oil terminals, and shipyards. It also aims to improve conditions around stationary installations which are common for handling industrial wastewater.
SurfCleaner’s skimmer hybrid technology is capable of separation, removal, and recovery of floating water contaminants.
This kind of technology is needed in Singapore at the moment where a Van Oord dredger, Vox Maxima, lost power and control of its steering and crashed into a bunker barge, Marine Honour, which was at anchor.
The barge’s hull was badly punctured with reports suggesting at least 400 tonnes of very low sulphur fuel oil spilled out. Due to the tidal currents, parts of the oil spillage have landed along the southern shorelines while an oil sheen was also seen in the waters surrounding Sister’s Islands Marine Park, a 400,000 sq m marine protected area.
The core principles of SurfCleaner’s skimmer technology were developed by Stig Lundbäck following his discovery of the human heart’s Dynamic Adaptive Piston Pump functionality.
“Sources of oil contaminations in ports typically occur from petroleum wastewater, equipment leaks and cleaning, tank ruptures, etc. We are keen to communicate to the global maritime community, that our technology can automatically and continuously remove floating pollutants, preventing hydrocarbon pollution in the discharged water,” said SurfCleaner CEO Johnny Sajland.
According to statistics from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, most oil spills originate near ports. The non-profit organisation calculates that around 80% of tanker spills arise from operational incidents including loading, discharging, and bunkering.
“We all understand maritime pollution is a problem – a problem that, at times, is pictured as being too large to solve. However, by cooperating with a wide range of partners like SurfCleaner, we can help recovery efforts and drive strategy and, ultimately, change,” added Eyesea founder Graeme Somerville-Ryan.
