If you specialize in oil spill response, equipment of the highest quality is essential to proper cleanup and removal. Oil skimmers are a crucial piece in the puzzle. Oil floats on the surface of water and fortunately does not mix, but this of course poses a great natural risk to wildlife and the ecosystems surrounding the spill. Oil containment booms, silt curtains, and turbidity barriers all help to keep oil from spreading and provide the conditions necessary for the oil skimmers to work.

Oil containment booms are used to physically stop the oil floating on the surface by creating a physical barrier. Encircling the spill with a physical barrier allows response workers the valuable time needed to properly remove the oil without worrying about the contaminated area increasing. Turbidity barriers work similarly to prevent waves and currents from stirring up the oil or silt. This is another important component to keeping the oil contained and the area of effect down.

You can find oil skimmers in all different shapes and sizes for cleaning up slicks and contaminants in many different forms. There are many different techniques used to remove oil from the top of the water, fixed, moving, gravity, filtration, and many others that all work for different kinds of oils and contaminants. Whether you are cleaning up oil, removing algae, and pretty much anything that floats on the water and consists of small pieces or particles, these oil skimmers will be able to pick it up. Some of these techniques tend to remove a bit of water with the contaminant but can be added back by a so called oil water separator. Whichever type of oil skimmer you choose will depend greatly on the size, type, severity, and toxicity of what you are cleaning up, so pay careful attention to what each type offers and match them appropriately to your specific needs.