New equipment has been developed that can clean up oil spills at sea much more efficiently than previous methods used.
The Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering on Wednesday held a demonstration of their newly-developed amphibious oil recovery equipment, capable of swiftly recovering oil along coastal lines.
This equipment consists of a tracked vehicle that can operate in shallow waters, sandy beaches, and gravel fields.
Additionally, it includes four types of detachable oil recovery devices designed to ensure optimal retrieval of oil under various environmental conditions.
The machine has a coastal inflow oil recovery speed of 20 cubic meters per hour and a coastal attachment recovery speed of 2,000 square meters per hour. This speed is over 50 times faster than that of humans.
Moreover, it eliminates the production of secondary waste, such as oil-absorbing sheets commonly used for coastline cleanup.
To facilitate the recovery of high-viscosity oil, the institute has also developed a heating device. This innovation enables smooth oil spill cleanup operations, even in winter.