Science & Technology

CSA Ocean Sciences, Inc. (CSA) announces that it has been awarded a patent for a method and apparatus meant to assist in the remediation of marine sediment that has been altered as a result of an oil spill, drilling discharge or other discharges of organic compounds.

CSA’s Marine Sediment Remediation (MSR) System acts to remediate and promote the recovery of marine seabed sediments that have been subjected to excessive loading with organic compounds. Organic loading may alter benthic communities by increasing sediment anoxia through microbial biodegradation. Instances of organic loading include the vicinity of a seafloor oil spill and around sites where drill cuttings from non-aqueous based drilling mud systems have been discharged, or other organic materials have settled to the seafloor.

“Until now, the remediation of deep water sediments has been difficult, if not impossible,” stated Kevin Peterson, President and CEO of CSA. “CSA’s MSR System can be deployed from existing remotely operated vehicles and tracked trenching systems, thus substantially reducing the upfront capital cost, development time and mobilization costs to accomplish the remediation of damaged sea floor sediment, “according to Mr. Peterson.

One application method for the MSR system involves identifying a region of underwater soil to be remediated; collecting soil from below a surface layer of the given underwater site; and depositing the collected soil over the surface layer. An alternate method comprises identifying an area of underwater soil to be remediated and then injecting a fluid comprising of water, oxygen and potentially other elements into or below the surface layer of the sediment. The system can be configured to address a variety of applications, understanding each situation encountered will be unique.

“The MSR System draws on proven ROV technology to mitigate development risks and costs, and to allow the use of “off the shelf” assets in a timely and cost effective manner,” added Mr. Peterson.

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. specializes in consulting services for Federal, State, and private industry clients in multidisciplinary projects, integrating science and technology to evaluate environmental activities throughout the world. CSA offers a wide variety of services related to environmental management and community planning to support clients working in marine, estuarine, wetland, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats throughout the United States and overseas.