Presentation of Manual: New Insights into Chemical Spill Responses
The research was made possible by RAAK, an innovation project assisted by Syntens, The Netherlands. Innovation consultant Dirk-Jan Hummel explained their aim is to link business with sources for research and knowledge and experience. Project engineer Marieke Zeinstra gave insight in statistics of risk profiles of various types of vessels and cargo. She also covered places where cargo could get lost and what the characteristics of the spill would be. Some will evaporate into a cloud, others will sink, float or dissolve. They all require a different strategy.
Wierd Koops explained that for response purposes, only spills that are floating or sinking are worthwhile following up in response efforts. When the chemicals evaporate, they disappear and when the materials are dissolving, these can be dangerous at a time but will thin out by nature. For chemicals that are sinking or floating, methods and equipment comparable to oil spills can be applied. It often is difficult to detect the nature of the spilled chemicals. The students of Ocean Technology made a decision structure of spills and optimal use of detection equipment.
Practical requirements and classification of vessels used to combat spills were presented by Jürgen Rühlmann (M-C-R), followed by Frans Rapp (NHL) who presented an alternative to recover containers which needs to be tested in a realistic situation. He called upon companies for resources to realise this. Martin Berends (NHL) made sketches of an unmanned survey vessel which could enter a potentially dangerous zone using vessels of opportunity, capable of measuring under water as well as up to 10m above the water surface. His call was for funds to create a prototype.
After these presentation, the book was presented to author Wierd Koops, Ton Achterberg, Dirk-Jan Hummel and a representative of Rijkswaterstaat.
