Oil spill booms and silt curtains

Protecting the marine environment in works and emergencies

Floating booms are the first line of defence for the marine environment when there is a risk of spill or sediment dispersion. We keep our own oil containment booms and silt curtains in our warehouse in the Port of Ferrol, together with the boats and crews to deploy, anchor and maintain them for as long as the works or the emergency last.

Oil spill booms

Containment booms for:

• Port and marine works with a risk of fuel or oil spills.
• Ship cleaning and repair alongside or at anchor: encircling the hull during the works.
• Bunkering and transfer operations.
• Spill emergencies: immediate deployment, support for containment and clean-up with our boats, coordinated with the Harbour Master and the Port Authority.

In 2012 we responded to a spill in the ría of Ferrol, deploying the booms within hours and supporting the clean-up around the clock until full containment. In 2024 we encircled vessels during cleaning operations in the port and maintained a boom system for twelve months in a port extension project.

Silt curtains

Geotextile curtains that confine suspended sediments during dredging, reclamation, piling and seabed works, to protect seagrass beds, shellfish grounds and sensitive areas and to comply with the turbidity limits of the environmental impact statement. We design the enclosure with the shape and depth required, anchor it and reconfigure it as the works progress.

What the service includes

1. Deployment design: boom length and type, anchoring points, curtain depth, access for the works’ boats.
2. Supply and transport: own or rented booms, delivered to site with our resources.
3. Deployment and anchoring: with workboats and our own anchoring equipment.
4. Daily maintenance: inspection of connectors, floats, ballast and anchors; cleaning; replacement of damaged sections; reconfiguration by work phase.
5. Removal and cleaning at the end of the works, with management of the waste generated.

Emergencies

For spill situations, call our contact number at any time. We activate the duty team, load the booms on the boat and go to the indicated point in coordination with the Harbour Master, Salvamento Marítimo and the Port Authority.