6 research outputs found
Hoverspill: a new amphibious vehicle for responding in difficult-to-access sites
Oil spill experience often shows that response activities are hampered due to the
absence of operative autonomous support capable of reaching particular sites or operate in
safe and efficient conditions in areas such as saltmarshes, mudflats, river banks, cliff
bottoms… This is the purpose of the so-called FP7 Hoverspill project (www.hoverspill.eu), a
3-year European project that recently reached completion: to design and build a small-size
amphibious vehicle designed to ensure rapid oil spill response. The result is an air-cushion
vehicle (ACV), known as Hoverspill, based on the innovative MACP (Multipurpose Air
Cushion Platform) developed by Hovertech and SOA. It is a completely amphibious vehicle
capable of working on land and on water, usable as a pontoon in floating conditions. Its
compactness makes it easy to transport by road. The project also included the design and
building of a highly effective integrated O/W Turbylec separator developed by YLEC. Spill
response equipment will be loaded on-board based on a modular concept enabling the vehicle
to carry out specific tasks with just the required equipmen