Open sea skimmer barge

Claim 1

A towed open sea skimming vessel for use in the skimming of oil and the like from the surface of a body of water and/or the erosion of silt and debris from the bottom of said body of water adjacent said vessel, said vessel comprising: a hull having a bow, a bottom, side walls, a stern having a substantially horizontal elongate slot extending across a portion thereof, and a deck; tunnel means communicating with the substantially horizontal elongate slot extending across a portion of the stern of said hull and exiting said hull downwardly through the bottom thereof in a substantially vertical position intermediate the bow and stern thereof thereby producing substantially zero fore or aft thrust on said hull, said tunnel means including: an initial portion having a curvilinear upper wall for said oil and the like to flow therealong in contact therewith, the curvilinear shape of the upper wall causing said oil and the like from the surface of said body of water to buoyantly flow therealong in a substantially uninterrupted layer when said vessel is positioned to have the upper wall extending from above the surface of said body of water to below the surface of said body of water; an intermediate portion; and an exit portion having a transition section having flow deflectors therein so that water of said body of water exiting said tunnel means exits said hull downwardly through the bottom thereof in a substantially vertical position; pump means contained within the intermediate portion of said tunnel means for pumping of said oil and the like and a portion of said water or said water only thereinto and the pumping of only said water therethrough; tank means selectively communicating with the intermediate portion of said tunnel means, said tank means having movable flap means located in the bottom thereof movable into the intermediate portion of said tunnel means to selectively allow communication between the intermediate portion of said tunnel means and said tank means; induction header means communicating with said tank means; induction pump means communicating with said induction header means to pump any of said water in said tank means therefrom into said body of water; secondary oil separation means contained within said tank means; tertiary oil separation means communicating with said secondary oil separation means; transverse stern thruster tunnel means located in the stern of said vessel below the initial portion of said tunnel means having the ends thereof in the side walls of said hull thereby creating a flow path in the stern of said vessel from one side thereof to the other; transverse stern thruster means located in said transverse stern thruster tunnel means to selectively cause said water to flow through said transverse stern thruster tunnel means from one side of said hull to the other; and adjustable bow thruster means located in the bow of said hull extending therebelow whereby during operation said vessel may be utilized for the skimming of oil and the like from the surface of a body of water and/or the erosion of silt from the bottom of said body of water by causing said water to be pumped into said tunnel means by said pump means thereby causing any oil and the like flowing into said tunnel means along with a portion of the water of said body of water flowing into said tunnel means to flow along the curvilinear upper wall of the initial portion of said tunnel means, the oil and the like being caused to flow into the tank means from the portion of water by extending the movable flap means located in the bottom of said tank means being extended into said tunnel means thereby causing said oil and the like and a portion of the portion of the water in said tunnel means to flow into said tank means where said oil and the like is separated by said secondary separation means from any water of said body of water contained therewith thereby allowing the remaining portion of water from said body of water to flow through said tunnel means exiting therefrom to erode the bottom of said body of water when said vessel is adjacent thereto while the location of said vessel during operation with respect to said body of water is controlled by the selective actuation of said transverse stern thruster means and said bow thruster means while water contained with said oil and the like exiting said secondary separation means is further separated from the water by said tertiary separation means.