Two new pollution control boats for China

The two new Wave Skimmer class boats undergoing trials at Blyth
The new ‘Wave Skimmer’ class boats were delivered by Alnmaritec to Elastec American Marine who also supplied all of the oil recovery and storage equipments on board. These boats follow on from the Wave Provider class boat that was delivered by Alnmaritec to Elastec in 2010 for operation by PetroChina at their Dalian refinery.
The innovative design has a hydraulically operated garbage scoop at the bow for floating waste collection which can as per alnmaritec deposit up to 2m3 into a removable skip on deck and it has built into the hulls a novel ’circus’ system for oil skimming. The circus system allows polluted water to be diverted into each hull where oil can be recovered using either weir or drum skimmers. The boats are fitted with 5m3 of recovered oil storage capacity together with a ballast system that ensures their trim remains optimal at all stages of the oil recovery process. They are fitted with inboard diesels driving twin waterjets which provide excellent manoeuvrability as well as a very shallow draught for operating close to beaches and ramps. The boats are very robustly built and capable of taking a substantial cargo on deck (in place of the skip) which makes them exceptionally versatile harbour craft, states the shipbuilder.