Crude oil and its products have played a pivotal role in boosting economies and furthering technological advancements throughout history. The discovery of the “black gold” was so significant, that it forged and broke new liaisons, forced new trade organizations to be formed, and has been influential in dictating the values of currencies. Such is its importance, that it is required by every country, both large and small, to sustain itself. This gave rise to its mass transportation from oil-rich countries to other parts of the world, with the primary and largest method being via ships. Ships have very large capacities and can transport oil to distant lands easily compared to other forms. However, what would happen if a small mishap occurred? How will this affect the world?
Oil accounts for almost 29% of global maritime trade, meaning though industries are shifting to more renewable methods, it is still needed across the globe. Back in 2020, around 4.2 billion metric tons of crude oil were extracted for global usage, which is 730 times the weight of the Pyramids of Giza, considered one of the heaviest creations of mankind! An average oil tanker can move around 70,000 gallons of crude oil in a single journey, which is enough oil to fill up 28 Olympic size swimming pools. Although regular safety checks are done to ensure these huge amounts reach land safely, they are still prone to accidents that can cause spills and leaks. An oil spill from a common oil tanker would indubitably endanger marine life and cause widespread harm to the marine ecosystem of that region.
Oil is immiscible and less dense than water, causing it to rise to the surface of the ocean body when spilled. This causes a blockade and prevents sunlight and other important gases needed for marine survival from mixing with the ocean water and can cause oxygen depletion, irregular temperature rise, and increased pressure underneath the oil bed. This is extremely dangerous to the environment as it can cause a large number of problems to all the wildlife underneath. Oil can stick to the feathers and furs of birds and other aquatic animals, which can eventually harm their insulation and cause hypothermia. The oil can also prevent aquatic birds from flying and can weigh them down, subsequently drowning them.
Crude oil spills can be hazardous if ingested and may seep into the food chain, causing poisoning across marine life. This leads to depletion of marine food, stunted growth amongst new off-springs, and loss of life in the ocean. This indirectly aggravates marine endangerment and is a serious issue. These spills can also cause massive reproductive failure amongst the fauna present underneath it and can perturb breeding grounds which may result in deformities amongst the newly born. Moreover, the oil prevents gases from entering the ocean, causing cardiac and respiratory issues amongst the organisms, which will lead to eventual death.
The best way to avoid this is by preventing such accidents with regular safety checks. However, in case there is an oil spill, it should be tackled as soon as possible to prevent aggravation and this is done with the help of skimming, a process where oil is removed from the surface of the ocean layer by layer. Skimmers, devices that are used to collect the oil, are brought in contact with the spill and absorb the oil from the surface, where it is then collected and stored in a collection tank. Skimming is usually done with the help of large ships that can carry large skimmers and collect vast amounts of the oil-water mixture from the cleanup.
Another method that is done to clean oil spills is in situ burning. In in situ burning, the oil on the surface of the water is collected with the help of a fire retardant collection boom and is then set alight in a concentrated area. This is however more tedious and harmful as the residue from the smoke may settle on the surface of the water and needs proper monitoring. The burning of such vast amounts of oil may also cause temperature rises in that particular region of the ocean, affecting marine life.
Lastly, chemical dispersants are used to clean up oil spills in places away from the coast and prone to rough tides. The chemicals are added to the surface of the oil via air, which then reacts with the oil and breaks it down into small droplets that can then be ingested by microbes present in the water body. This method is usually not advisable as it may adversely affect marine life and can alter their behavior.
Even with such methods in place to tackle oil spills, there is no safe method to deal with oil runoffs that pass on from the ocean and into shallow waters, such as coastlines, beaches, creeks, and small streams. Using any of the above methods would be a waste of time and money, and can disturb the marine environment underneath due to the shallow depths. Here, the use of lighter and more agile equipment is preferred.
The Grab Mariner is a purpose-built Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) equipped with Grab that has been developed by us at Sentient Labs, a robotics and product design start-up based in the UAE, which solves the issue of accessibility and effectiveness for several marine operations in congested and busy waterways such as waste collection, water quality monitoring, survey, inspection etc. This helps tackle this problem as it can be controlled remotely and can maneuver in shallow, tight, and congested areas with draft heights as small as 35cms. It can expertly clean oil spills in areas that would otherwise be left unattended or may have required manual labor.
The arm of the Mariner, the Grab offers excellent versatility and, can operate in various orientations, making it easier for the user to tidy up runoffs near undergrowth, marshes, and mangroves. Ships, boats, and other small ferries may also bring in unwanted residue after their operations, and cleaning every one of them is a cumbersome ordeal. To solve this issue, the Grab Mariner can be used to swiftly clean up the sides and surfaces of these sea vehicles and improve water quality without having to disturb marine life.
The cost of cleaning oil spills off-shore and on coastlines can be exorbitant depending on the nature of the oil, the area affected, and the region of the oil spill. It is safe to say that upon closer inspection, the Grab Mariner offers long-term cost-effective solutions and reduces financial strain in the oil cleaning industry. According to a paper released by the International Oil Spill Conference (168#, 1999), around 90% of the total cleanup costs around coastlines are due to cleanup procedures on the shoreline as manual methods are usually used. The study also showed that cost-effective methods to tackle such problems were to invest in automated equipment, personnel, and energy-efficient methods, which is perfectly embodied by the Grab Mariner. Other studies have shown that the cost of oil cleanup averages $7,350 /ton across the globe, with the lowest costs offshore belonging to the Middle East and Northern Africa, where costs are estimated to be around $1,100/ton. This, however, rises exponentially when in contact with shorelines, and is estimated to be around $180,000/ton, with much of it owing to lawsuits faced from environmental damage and lack of machinery to clean the residue. Using Grab Mariner, the finances associated with the cleanup can be greatly reduced. Moreover, the environmental impact of the Grab Mariner is negligible due to its small stature, electric propulsion, and environment-friendly construct, allowing it to assist in cleaning operations without interfering with the marine life below. This further eases the costs of marine life preservation during the cleaning operations.