Kvichak Marine, Industries, Inc. was recently awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy for fifteen (15) 30’ Rapid Response Skimmers to be delivered to various Navy bases over the next 12 months. The Navy currently owns and operates over 70 Kvichak-built skimmers worldwide as the Navy’s tier one response asset.
The rapid-response, shallow-water capable skimmer is ideally suited for use on oil spills in waterways, bays and harbors. The all-aluminum skimmer is 30’ – 3” long, with a beam of 9’-8’, and a draft of 2’ – 6″, and is easily trailerable. Powered by twin 90hp outboards, the skimmer has a response speed of up to 17 knots and features an enclosed two person pilothouse for operator comfort.
Adaptable to a variety of marine spill scenarios, this highly specialized vessel works well in many recovery configurations, from free skimming through towed-boom applications, and is able to recover a very wide range of spills from light sheens to very viscous weathered oil products.
The skimmer’s oil recovery system includes a KVICHAK/MARCO Cl-1 Filterbelt oil skimming module, a KVICHAK/MARCO U-040 Capsulpump offload system with 50’ hose, and a recovered oil capacity of over 1,200 gallons. The recovered oil tank configuration allows segregation of small volume spills to simplify post-spill decontamination. Onboard hydraulic power is supplied by an under-deck diesel HPU.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, September 27, 2012; Image: Kvichak Marine