Skimming oil

Designed to recover oil from land or water, skimmers come in a variety

of sizes and types and can be free floating or mounted on a vessel.

Skimmer components
1 Head 2 Transfer system 3 Containment unit
Separates oil Built-in pump, vacuum, Tank or container for
from water or other device recovered oil

Drum skimmer Brush and belt skimmer

• Covers large surface area • Mounted on a barge
or on a specially
constructed
vessel

Drum picks up and Oil carried up

rolls oil into container belt to container

Disc skimmer
Rope mop skimmer • Oil sticks to rotating discs
• Launched from a
vessel or shore; very
little water is collected

Oil scraped off inside

skimmer head
Rotating mop loop Weir skimmer
drags along surface; • Floats on surface where
loop runs back concentration of oil is highest
through unit and
squeeze rollers Like a floating
remove oil vacuum head;
creates low spot
© 2010 MCT on surface for oil
Source: Deepwater Horizon Incident
Joint Information Center to flow into
Graphic: Melina Yingling