Page 69: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2014)

MTRMTR 100 100Ohmsett?s mission is to improve oil spill response through research and de-velopment, testing, training, and to pro- vide performance testing of response equipment and marine renewable en- ergy systems. Located in Leonardo, NJ, Ohmsett provides independent and objective performance testing of full-scale oil spill response equipment and marine renewable energy systems (wave energy conversion devices). It is the largest out- door saltwater wave/tow tank facility in North America and the only facility where full-scale oil spill response equip-ment testing, research, and training can be conducted in a marine environment with oil under controlled environmental conditions (waves and types of oil). The Ohmsett facility consists of an above-ground concrete test tank mea- suring 667 feet long by 65 feet wide by 8 feet deep  lled with 2.6 million gallons of crystal clear salt water, conference rooms, maintenance/machine shop, oil/water chemistry laboratory, and of ces. The U.S Department of Interior?s Bu- reau of Safety and Environmental En- forcement (BSEE) operates Ohmsett as part of its mandated requirements to ensure that the best and safest technol-ogies are used in offshore oil and gas operations. The facility is maintained by MAR, Incorporated through a con-tract with the Bureau of Safety and En-vironmental Enforcement (BSEE). The Tech Ohmsett represents an intermediate step between small scale bench testing and open water testing of equipment ensuring the best and safest oil spill detection, containment and removal technologies are available to protect the U.S. coastal and oceanic environments. Many of today?s commercially avail- able oil spill cleanup products and ser- vices have been tested here, as well as the collection of a considerable body of performance data and information on mechanical response equipment. This information is used by response plan-ners in reviewing and approving facil- ity response and contingency plans. The facility has the capability to test and evaluate oil spill response technol- ogies such as: mechanical oil recovery systems, chemical treating agents and dispersants (to include subsea disper- sant effectiveness), oil in ice and cold weather climate, remote sensing and detection instruments, sorbent mate-rials, temporary storage devices, vis- cous oil pumping units, and oil water separators. In addition, Ohmsett provides a ven- ue for  rst responders with the most realistic hands-on training available, enabling rapid and ef cient response to an actual spill event. The Ohmsett test tank is large enough to accommodate many alternative en- ergy devices, in particular wave en- ergy conversion mechanical devices, in a controlled environment at meso- scale. The advantage is that arduous scaling considerations are minimized, and validation testing is more realistic. OHMSETT OHMSETT PO Box 473, Atlantic Highlands, NJ, PO Box 473, Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA 07716 USA 07716 T: +1 732 866 7183 T: +1 732 866 7183 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]://www.ohmsett.com http://www.ohmsett.com CEO/President: Lori Medley CEO/President: Lori Medley Number Of Employees: 17 Number Of Employees: 17 The Case: The Case: The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Envi- ronmental Enforcement (BSEE) manages the facility as part of its mandated requirements by the OPA 1990. Ohmsett is an integral part of the BSEE oil spill research program and directly supports the BSEE goal of ensuring the best and safest oil spill detection, containment and removal technologies are avail- able to protect the U.S. coastal and oceanic environments. www.marinetechnologynews.com Marine Technology Reporter 69MTR #6 (66-81).indd 69MTR #6 (66-81).indd 697/31/2014 10:07:14 AM7/31/2014 10:07:14 AM