AFTI: The Permanent Boom Specialists

Applied Fabric Technologies, Inc. (AFTI), in conjunction with other companies and individuals in the oil spill industry, has continued to work on developing processes and techniques to enhance oil spill response and recovery technology. Working on many fronts simultaneously, AFTI has developed several new processes and systems, which will make spill response more timely and effective. These technologies are in the areas of remote sensing, in-situ burning and fast water control, and recovery of oil. Both burning and fast water recovery techniques could be easily developed into a more effective joint recovery and disposal technology than that which presently exists.

Remote sensing is one area that can offer large returns for the users of the imagery when it is used to tactical advantage in a spill response. The Exxon Simplified Remote Sensing System (SRSS) presently marketed by the AFTI affiliate AR3, Inc. is a portable system designed for use in "Aircraft of Opportunity" which can enhance recovery and dispersant operations, and assist in damage assessment by differentiating between oils, black shorelines and cloud shadows, as well as providing a system that can track oil on the water surface at night and highlight thicker areas as response targets.

Remote sensing does not have to be very sophisticated and expensive, but it must be reliable. The SRSS brings off-the-shelf component reliability and user- friendly operations to the somewhat "black art" of aerial surveillance. Like many of the tools in the responder's kit, it might not be used every time, but when it does, a tool like the SRSS can repay the cost many times over the response efficiency and resource damage assessment.

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