Dauphin Island Resident invents a shallow water oil skimmer, a very simple oil skimmer, dubbed the “SOS”.
Admiral Thad Allen made a stop in Theodore in early July to discuss details on the status of skimming operations and skimming equipment. According to Allen he says skimmers are the best line of defense against the crude.
Allen says the bigger skimmers are stationed out in the Gulf where the water is deeper, but in areas like Mobile Bay where the water is shallower, the smaller skimming devices are needed. The smaller devices work better in marsh areas and tend to cause less damage to wetlands where all kinds of marine life and animals live.
In View of Admiral Allen’s statements I asked local businessman David Myer the co-owner of Alafab, Incorporated, a fabrication and machine shop in Mobile, Alabama about his solution for cleaning up the tar balls and light oil sheen in shallow waters.
Myer says his skimmer is made and sold in eight foot panels, which easily connect together to make between eight foot and thirty-two foot wide skimmers.
The SOS has an inclined front panel made from expanded metal, dropping off in a basket in the rear with a tall back screen.
SOS Skimmers come in 3 different models. The first has removable aluminum trays that are ideal when collecting tar balls where crane and pump out services are not available.
Myer says the second model has wood fiber absorbent sock in place of the aluminum baskets. The idea here is to capture any light oil or sheen in shallow waters or marshes. Once the sorbent sock is saturated with oil, it is simply removed and disposed of.
The last model has the same design except the back is completely removed. A disposable capture net having very fine mesh is attached to the back of the frame, and as it’s being pulled, everything in its path is funneled into the net. Once full, it is tied up and completely discarded-therefore, no need for decontamination.
Myer invented the skimmer through trial and error and built a few prototypes before he got all the angles and flotation just right to be the perfect shallow water skimmer.
Myer say he has demonstrated the skimmer to BP officials who were very interested in his invention.
Allen says “There are dozens of different types of skimmers in the waters, but the skimmer a boat uses depends on the type of boat being used.
In light of Admiral Allen’s statement Myer says his SOS skimmer is very easy to manage – a small boat could easily take 24 feet of skimmer right from the dock to the contamination area. Therefore making this skimming device ideal for a wide range of boat types and sizes, from your little aluminum skiff with a 15hp motor all the way up to a shrimp boat.
Myer says that a 24 ft. wide section can easily being pulled by his 14 ft. aluminum boat with a 15 horsepower motor, which is great for skimming water around 12″ deep.
Panels are very easy to connect and disconnect while floating – there are no loose parts. According to Myer together with his wife they can load all three panels into the water in a matter of minutes and connect them together to create a 24 ft. wide skimmer.
Myer says that his factory is capable of building 150 units a week and at a price per unit that is far cheaper than anything else on the market that I have seen. You can see the SOS skimmers in action at his website http://www.SosMarineSystems.com Oil
Skimmers
Or you can call David at 251-895-0010 or Email dmyer101@gmail.com
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