Using herders for oil spill response in the sea

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the capabilities, optimal conditions and efficiency of using herders for in-situ burning of oil as an oil spill response technique in the Kazakhstan Sector of the Caspian Sea (KSCS). The in-situ burning of spilled oil is considered as a preferred approach to fight large-scale oil spills offshore, when the oil slick spreads over large distances under the action of wind and currents, which also results in a greater spill area and greater spilled oil volume due to water absorption. Herders, or chemical oil-collectors, are used in the world practice for contracting oil slicks and their thickening before oil combustion. This study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using in the Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian Sea those herding agents that have proven to be effective for other types of oil and other marine conditions. The herding performance, suitability and efficiency of Siltech OP-40 and ThickSlick 6535 herders were investigated for Kashagan oil in artificial sea water with salinity level of KSCS.