Deliver spill booms quickly amidst strong waves, currents, and tides.
High-performance polypropylene spill booms absorb oil effectively.
Spill booms ensured shoreline protection and community job restoration.
Polyeco, a Polygreen Ltd Company, offers integrated and innovative circular economy solutions worldwide. The company’s pioneering solutions aim to improve quality of life and shape environmental consciousness through purpose-built education.
Challenge: Deliver Large Amounts of Floating Spill Booms Fast
On July 25, 2020, the bulk carrier Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef near the island of Mauritius,it started leaking fuel before eventually breaking in two. Polygreen immediately deployed a smaller local stock of available spill control solutions from its nearby Mauritian waste management facility.
However, 3-metre waves, strong currents, and tidal effects quickly spread the spill over 27 km², bringing it closer to shore. This posed a significant threat to valuable wetlands, coral reefs, mangroves, the marine park of Blue Bay, as well as the Mauritian economy and the island’s food security. As the disaster unfolded, Polygreen quickly recognised the need for a major environmental protection operation and called on its suppliers to deliver additional spill containment and removal solutions as fast as possible.
Solution: Pure Meltblown Polypropylene Oil Absorbing Booms
Brady Corporation’s SPC Group answered the call for supplies from Polygreen and immediately ramped up floating oil-absorbing spill boom production.
Polygreen had already identified spill booms as an ideal solution to protect the Mauritian shoreline. Alternatives such as inflatable booms would not last long against sharp coral rock, and fence booms might cause additional drag damage to the already imperiled local marine ecosystem.
SPC produced 2760 metres of spill booms within 2 days after Polygreen’s order, all made with 100% pure and traceable boom material. The next day, they were on their way to Mauritius, enabling Polygreen to absorb up to 62,100 litres of oil from the sea.
Made from pure meltblown polypropylene, SPC spill booms absorb oil, not seawater, and they stay afloat, even when fully saturated or after being damaged by sharp coral and rock formations. This product enabled Polygreen to protect parts of the Mauritian shoreline and contain the oil spill with a floating dam, effectively preventing more oil from reaching the shore and damaging valuable ecosystems. Once in place, the spill booms also stopped the oil spill from breaking into multiple smaller spills, which would have further complicated shore protection efforts.
Results: High Performing Spill Booms
On December 31, 2020, Polygreen announced the completion of cleaning operations along their assigned 21 kilometres of Mauritian lagoon shoreline. From July 28 to December 31, 340m³ of oil mixed with seawater was collected, as well as 2,714 metric tons of solid, hazardous waste. To achieve this result, Polygreen collaborated with the local community and employed 250 people whose jobs had been impacted by the oil spill.
Polygreen used Brady SPC’s spill booms at sea from the first days of the spill until the last. Booms stayed in the water for up to three months without sinking, even when fully saturated with oil. While sharp rocks caused some damage, the booms neither disintegrated nor leaked oil. This allowed the booms to reach full saturation and provided responders with a dependable oil containment solution. This durability also helped Polygreen save on boom materials and waste disposal costs.
In addition to product performance, Polygreen expressed satisfaction with the speed of production. SPC produced Polygreen’s order and made it available for shipment to Mauritius within just two days.