摘要 |
<p>A boom assembly (10) is carried on board a vessel for automatic deployment around the vessel to contain an oil spill. The boom assembly (10) comprises endless inflatable tubes (11) supporting a skirt (12) whose bottom edge is weighted by linear weight (13). The boom assembly (10) is stored in uninflated folded form in an elongate capsule (20) which serves as the deck handrail of the vessel. The tubes (11) are connectable to a source of pressurised air via air lines (30). The capsule consists of hinged sections (24, 25) which are normally sealed. Upon inflation of the tubes (11), the seal is broken by expansion of the tubes and the hinged sections (24, 25) open to automatically deploy the boom assembly (10) aroung the vessel.</p> |