▲ Sungdong Marine / CEO Joongjae Kim

Oil spill contributes to environmental pollution. In South Korea alone records more than 200 cases of oil spill inland and more than 300 on the seas a year if included regardless the amount of leakage and damage. Experts in the field have endeavored to find what causes oil spill for many years and introduced methods for separating the oil from the water effectively when a leakage occurs. In this respect, it is noteworthy that a South Korean company Sungdong Marine has succeeded development of the world's first automated oil skimmer that can more effectively remove oil from water than the existing methods.

[World's First Automated Oil Skimmer]
Oil Skimmer is a device that separates oil from water whether inland water or sea. The performance of oil separators on the market varies by 100% from device to device and they either use one of these three most common methods available: disc, drum or brush. According to Joongjae Kim, CEO of Sungdong Marine, all oil skimmers used in South Korea have been imported so far until he and his team developed the world's first automated oil skimmer. Even if it is assembled here, more than 95% parts are still imported. He regrets about the fact that the world's number one shipbuilder (South Korea) imports most parts need for oil skimmer. For the same reason, he and his team are proud of developing the world's first automated oil skimmer drawing a line from the existing hydraulic skimmers.  

"The existing method has accompanied some safety issues such as electric shock and electric leak due to the salt in the sea. So we joined hands with the Korea Maritime Environment Management Corporation and succeeded making the world's first automated oil skimmer that has far better efficiency and convenience than the existing ones on the market" says Kim.

[Lighter and Smaller]
The automated oil skimmer is lighter and smaller (65kl/h on 320kg) than the imported ones (40kl/h on 1100kg) from Demark and the United Kingdom. These bulky and heavier skimmers have required considerable amount of labor and it also made prompt accident respond hard. The automated oil skimmer, on the other hand, does not have hydraulic motor and rills which contributed to reducing the size and weight to a controllable level. What is more, it is remotely controled wirelessly on the monitor. Time is vital when it comes to removing spilled oil from water and it takes at least 1 hour and 30 minutes a team from the Korean Environment Corporation is dispatched to the site. 1 hour and 30 minutes is the time enough for oil spread far and wide and it makes separating and collecting all the more difficult. With the help of the automated oil skimmer, however, things get faster and easier. 

[Models and Functions]
The automated oil skimmer comes in three models: 15kl/h(KOSED-15), 65kl/h(KOSED-65) and 100kl/h(KOSED-100) in order of the size and weight. The first model, for example, weighs only 45kg. If local governments in the nation equip these automated separators, the damage could be minimized thanks to its easy and prompt application. Loaded in these innovative separators are collecting pumps that send the collected oil and stabilizers that minimize rolling on the sea. Also loaded is three level mobility forwards, backwards and rotation control and energy saving as well as noise and exhaust-free. The electric shock and leak are solved by using DC48V through AC220V inverter and secondary safety cut off. 

[Deals]
Sungdong Marine was established in 2011. The company made the world's first hybrid amphibious vehicle and started selling it from 2016. The specialist team of the company met experts of the Korea Maritime Environment Management Corporation at an exhibition taken place in Busan and they found a mutual ground to improve things and worked together to introduce the world's first automated oil skimmer. The company has obtained ISO9001, ISO14001 and a product of the Public Procurement Service. The company is expecting to sell more than 500 units and the Korea Maritime Environment Management Corporation has already sold 4 units last month. Deals have been signed with buyers from 15 countries including the US, Brazil, France, Spain, Morocco, Kuwait, Malaysia and Australia while deals are being on the table with buyers from the UK, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Japan and Singapore. <PowerKorea>

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