Exemplary for this was a special order for a subsea pump station which averted the expansion of an oil pollution.

On December 12th, 1999 the tank ship "Erika" was torn apart by a severe storm at the Breton Coast. Parts of the 30,000 tons fuel oil leaked, and caused a coast pollution.

The main part of the loading still was in the tanks on the ocean bed in a rear part of the ship, at a deepness of 125 m. The destruction of the tanks by corrosion and the effects of the waves was only a question of time.The owner of the tanks as well as the French Department of the Environment worked feverish on a solution of this "time bomb".

After having examined all proposals, it was decided to make use of the "Bornemann-Concept": A submerged pump station is placed beside the wreck on the ocean bed. The hydraulically powered pumps convey the fuel oil - made capable of flowing - aboard of a salvage vessel.

The workings could be finished several weeks before schedule. After completion of the so-called remaining pump work, 11,200 tons of the heavy fuel oil were secured until end of August 2000. This complies approx. The quantity that had polluted 500 kilometers of the French Atlantic Coast


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