Toll Free Phone
US & Canada
1-877-4COPDEL
Phone
(418) 849-5555
Fax
(418) 849-2999
Mail
Copdel, Inc.
138,rue du jura
Quebec,
QC G2M OC7
Canada
Email
info@copdel.com
Web
www.copdel.com
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about the Protecteur™
Click on the question that interests you
or just scroll down the page to see them all.
1- What problem does the Protecteur™
solve?
Considering the fact that 99 % of tanker oil spills occur during transfer operations while ships are at berth, the Protecteur™ has been specifically designed to ensure that marine oil spills are rapidly and cost-effectively confined and controlled between the ship and the dock, as well as in between two ships.
2- What are its advantages over conventional equipment?
- Safer method due to simple operations, done remotely from the dock, by one operator, i.e.: no marine operations and expertise needed for boom deployment or watercraft manoeuvers.
- Simpler, instantaneous remote deployment, confinement and control of the spill.
- Considerable savings on manpower and equipment
- More efficient shipping schedules due to:
- no pre-deployment of oil booms needed for each and every ship's loading operation;
- no standby contractor for the deployment of oil boom. - Smaller pollution zone following the confinement of the spill in a
controlled area near the dock, which allows:
- the containment of up to 20 tons of oil;
- an easy recovery of the spill, thus reducing its cost;
- a limitation to damages and clean-up measures to the dock surroundings (wildlife, shoreline structures, beaches, docks, marinas, other ships, and water intakes…) following the loss of control. - Quicker start of oil transfer operations and departures of vessels, due to faster and easier deployment and retrieval of the Protecteur™ equipment.
- Very little maintenance required, other than flushing the unit with fresh water after use.
- Simpler, easier and shorter "Once and for all"
four (4) hours training session.
3- Is the Protecteur™ suited for all types of docks?
There are three (3) types of Protecteur equipement capable of serving most marine terminal facilities:
1) The Protecteur 300 Series (Accordion type), mostly used for irregular steel sheetpiling dock faces.
2) The Protecteur 400 Series (Scissors type), for fullface docksides.
3) The Protecteur 500 Series (Floating Magnetic Head), for dock facilities with cells and/or mooring dolphins. The Protecteur™ can be designed and installed to meet special terminal particularities.
4- How does the Protecteur™ work?
The Protecteur 300 Series (Accordion type) and the 400 Series (Scissors type) are remote-controlled, mechanically expandable, floating barriers which are launched into the water to close the gap between the ship and the dock, and thus trap the oil in the event of a spill, during transfer operations. The Protecteur™ is launched on each side of the manifold at about 200 feet (60m) apart.
The Protecteur 500 Series (Floating Magnetic Head) is a free-floating unit, which is hauled towards the hull of the ship so that its magnets cling to it. Its other extremity is connected to a conventional oil boom, which is in turn tied to a suitable cell or mooring dolphin by a floating wheel buggy. This buggy rolls up and down along a vertical H-beam with the sea movements.
5- How is the Protecteur™ launched?
The Protecteur 300, 400 and 500 Series are all launched from the dock, using appropriate portable derricks and winches. These can be specially designed and supplied, if required. They are firstly used to carry the Protecteur™ to the edge of the dock and secondly, to set it in place between the ship and the dock. Only one dockside operator is required and watercrafts are not needed.
6- How is the Protecteur™ fixed to the dock and the ship?
One extremity of the Protecteur 300 Series (Accordion type) makes use of a floating wheel buggy that rolls along an H-beam fixed vertically to the face of the dock; special bars serve as the sealing mechanism. The other extremity uses magnets that cling to the ship's hull; flexible bars are used for sealing purposes.
The Protecteur 400 Series (Scissors type) is composed of two arms spreading out into a V shapeand it has flexible sealing shoes at its extremities which take on the shape of the face of the dock and that of the ship's hull. The sealing operation is achieved by spring tension keeping the arms apart/extended (V shape) and up against the ship and dockside. The sealing heads can be slanted from their vertical plane; thus ensuring the seal is kept tight. Special brushes take on the shape and the roughness of the ship's hull and the dock's face.
The Protecteur 500 Series (Floating Magnetic Head) uses an appropriate length of conventional oil boom, which is fixed to a free floating wheel buggy at its other extremity. This buggy which slides up and down along an H-beam fixed vertically to a suitable portion of the dock, also acts as a sealing component. The other extremity, the magnetic head, is hauled towards the hull of the ship and clings to it. Special brushes seal the joints. The magnetic head adjusts itself with the draft of the ship being loaded or unloaded.
7- How is the Protecteur™ retracted from the ship and the water?
Protecteur 300 Series (Accordion type) and the Protecteur 400 Series (Scissors type) are simply retracted by winching up the unit with the proper derrick. The Protecteur™ closes itself, then it is ready to be lifted up to the dock.
Protecteur 500 Series (Floating Magnetic Head) uses cables to remotely release the magnets tension and to haul it to a sheltered area for standby anchoring or retrieval purposes with a proper derrick.
8- How is the Protecteur™ protected from possible damages due to ship movements?
The unit is never set in place until the ship has berthed. The Protecteur 300 Series (Accordion type) is often protected by the hollows of the irregular face of the dock (steel sheet piling), and the presence of thick enough fenders or bumpers. The Protecteur 400 Series (Scissors type) is launched between fenders with a minimum thickness of (24 inches/65cm).
The Protecteur 500 Series (Floating Magnetic Head) can either be hauled to a sheltered area of the marine terminal, and held in a stand-by mode by cables till next use, or retrieved from the water at every ship's departure.
9- What is a remote-controlled Protecteur™?
A triggering mechanism is used to activate (spread out) the Protecteur 300 and 400 Series. This is done by a single operator standing on the dock, no watercraft is required. For the Protecteur 500 Series, hauling cables are used to move the floating head freely around the marine terminal, while a triggering cable serves for deactivating the magnets tension over the ship's hull.
10- Are the magnets affected by coats of paint over the hull?
Magnet tensions up to a 1000 lbs (450 kg) are available. Multiple coats of paint will not affect their performance.
11- Has the Protecteur™ proven itself?
Since the invention of the Protecteur™, no significant problems have been encountered. The Protecteur™ is currently in use at numerous major dockside oil transfer installations in Canada, and has become an integral part of these companies' first line of defence against oil spills. See Achievements.
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