Pre-project: A natural oil spill containment system for deployment under Arctic coastal sea conditions

Despite advances in technology, the risk for accidents in petroleum related activities (extraction, transport, etc.) continues to be high, posing a threat for marine ecosystems. There is a need to explore and develop innovative and cost-effective approach es to prevent oil spills from reaching sensitive Arctic coastal areas. Physical and physical-chemical methods have been developed to an extent, for the purpose of mitigating the potential for oil spills reaching the shoreline. These methods can be grouped into three categories: sorption, microbiological purification and direct stimulation, or auto-purification. This pre-project examines the potential for combining the best characteristics of these methods into a practical technology for application under Arctic coastal sea conditions. The preproject brings together Norwegian and Russian experts to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the approach and to establish a plan for further technological development. Financial support is requested through this pre-project proposal to support 2 site visits to the pilot facility located outside of Murmansk, to conduct a technology assessment, to develop a project plan, and to conduct a proposal writing workshop with all partners in Tromsø. A full proposal will b e submitted to the NFR PETROMAKS proposal in Fall 2010.