U.S. NAVY SALVAGE REPORT DEEPWATER HORIZON ... - ESSM

Final Report, SONS Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, 27 April — 24 September 2010
SUPSALV met the oil containment coordinator for the Bay St. Louis, MS area to finalize a
herding/capture and recovery strategy using 4000′ of USS-18″ Oil Containment Boom (as
weather permitted) and identify the proper service craft.
GPC personnel on board OSV Caspian got underway from Venice to inspect the Oil
Containment Boom around Breton Island. Wind and seas prevented repairs, but OSV Caspian
would return when the weather permitted.
GPC personnel onshore in Grand Isle had to relocate the Command Van and the generators due
to high storm/tidal water. No skimming was conducted due to the weather.
SUPSALV received the A Whale post-operational evaluation report from IATAP; one key
observation was that the vessel was not capable of performing as envisioned due to the
following:
Backwash - basic hydrodynamic problems associated with the oil/water/ship interface and
the size of the collection and piping to storage tanks.
Bow wave - pressure from the hull/bulbous bow, even at 1/2 knot, causes enough of a bow
wave to push the oil away from the ship.
Swell/Sea State - anything more than a 0.5 meter significant wave height disrupts the flow of
water/oil on the ocean’s surface into the ship’s openings.
Pooling of oil - without Oil Containment Boom and without calm seas, there is no place and
no easy way to pool oil calming it to facilitate collection. Attempts to attach boom were
awkward at best and dangerous at worst.
OSVs AHTS Vanguard, Vantage, and MV Renee with VOSS remained in port waiting for the
weather to clear.
SUPSALV continued to work with the offshore coordinator ICP Houma to develop strategy for
VOOs working with SUPSALV USS-42″ Oil Containment Boom for offshore and near-shore
collection and herding to improve VOSS skimming effectiveness.
The weather continued to hamper skimming and oil containment operations.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
SUPSALV OSR equipment and 125 personnel were positioned throughout Pensacola, Mobile,
Bayou La Batre, Pascagoula, Gulfport, Ship Island, Slidell, Venice, and Port Fourchon/Grand
Isle.
SUPSALV continued coordinating operations from Gulfport (at State Pier) positioning,
maintaining, and operating SUPSALV OSR equipment assets as directed by the USCG FOSC.
SUPSALV continued to assist CNIC management team in Gulfport as required.
The total SUPSALV Oil Containment Boom in GOMEX to date was 98,000′ with 63,200′ of
boom deployed.
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