CASE STUDY: Solomon Islands Oil Spill Response
Rennel Island | Solomon Islands
The Solomon Trader, a bulk carrier loaded with over 10,000 metric tons of bauxite and an estimated 100 tons of fuel oil, grounded on a coral reef in Kangava Bay, Rennell Island, a Unesco World Heritage site known for its pristine beaches and endemic marine life in the Solomon Islands. Initially Resolve Marine was contracted to remove the grounded vessel, however while salvage teams mobilized to site, Cyclone Orma passed causing heavy fuel oil to leak and Resolve Marine was also contracted to clean the spilled oil.The vessel, with full cargo and fuel tanks, presented a logistical, engineering, and environmental challenge that required careful coordination as engineers, working with the Solomon Island Government, crafted plans to lighter cargo and fuel, refloat the vessel, and conduct a thorough oil spill clean-up. While salvors worked on the stranded vessel, oil response crews deployed nearly 12,000 feet of oil boom, sausage boom and sorbent pads to contain the spill. Offshore skimming vessels recovered free floating product and drones were used to direct skimming operations.
Teams on the beach surveyed the shoreline using the SCAT process, prioritizing shoreline segments for cleanup and developing minimally invasive cleaning plans. Shoreline personnel pressure washed oiled limestone, flushed sandy and rocky areas, and completely removed oiled debris. Locals were trained and employed to assist with manual beach cleanup removing oily sand, debris and buried oil.
Along a 300-meter stretch of shoreline, 400 logs lay in a slurry of heavily weathered oil. Clean-up teams first removed the bulk and free-floating oil and then proceeded to sort the logs into sections, cleaning the beach underneath. The logs were then transported through a boom channel to an offshore deck barge where they were milled. Clean and reusable product from the milled logs were fumigated and exported for re-sale, while the oiled exterior was slotted for disposal.
Waste material and oiled debris was bagged then sorted, eventually finding its way to an incinerator overseas. Waste minimization policies were followed to reduce the amount of waste produced from the response.
After four months of working in harsh and remote conditions, Resolve Marine successfully refloated the vessel and carried out the required repairs that enabled the Solomon Trader’s to be safely transported to deeper water and towage to Singapore. The removal coincided with the conclusion of spill response clean-up efforts.
