[StBernard] Commercial vessels in St. Bernard Parish begin being outfitted with skimming equipment

[Westley Annis]

Commercial vessels in St. Bernard Parish begin being outfitted with skimming
equipment

 

 

In St. Bernard Parish waters today, 146 vessels worked to conduct boom
deployment, reconnaissance and repair, trawling operations and pollution
investigation in all divisions of St Bernard Parish with the addition of
Plaquemines divisions 14 and 15. Crews deployed approximately 3,800 feet of
hard oil containment boom, and St. Bernard operations has begun receiving
and deploying 60,000 feet of hard containment boom to protect sensitive
wildlife areas near the Chandeleur Islands. Crews deployed 11,300 feet of
this boom today to a jack-up barge in the area for staging and deployment.

 

St. Bernard Parish oil spill operations received two brush skimmers, a
skimmer that collects oil but not water and can be used in rough seas, as
well as two storage barges for temporary storage of skimmed oil. The brush
skimmer systems will be used to outfit the first two St. Bernard commercial
fleet vessels with skimming systems. Six additional skimmers are due to
arrive mid-week, which will be used to outfit six additional vessels in the
commercial fleet. 20 vessels in the fleet have been trained thus far on
these skimming operations, and this training continues daily and is ongoing.


 

Offshore decontamination is up and running in two locations out in Breton
Sound. These "decon" stations consist of deck barges, crane barges, storage
barges, potable water barges, and living quarters. The intention is to use
these to decontaminate vessels and equipment as they get oiled so that they
are not bringing oil into uncontaminated waters.