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Wednesday, June 14, 1972
NEW TYPE OF OIL BOOMS
For Fight Against Pollution
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The Marine Department maintains a stock of 500 feet of a new type
of oil booms to protect vital areas like typhoon shelters, beaches and waterfronts,
and to fight oil leakages from ships.
Oil booms are floating barriers used to confine oil slicks to a particular area, so that a team can move in with emulsifiers or other equipment
to tackle the pollution.
A spokesman for the Marine Department said that the oil booms, bought in April last year, belonged to one of the latest models used in combatting oil
pollution.
Made of black rubber, these oil booms are three feet in height. floating on water, about one foot of the boom is visible, with the rest
submerged under water.
When
Owing to their weight, at least two launches and 20 men are required
in setting up these booms. They weigh 670 pounds per 100 feet.
These booms can be affected by choppy seas and strong currents, when
the oil may escape confinement by the movement of the water,
"In view of their limitations, it is intended that only a limited supply of oil booms will be kept for use in emergencies," the spokesman said.
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