Oil trawl
LARGE THOMSEA

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During the PRESTIGE oil spill, fishermen, using the THOMSEA nets under orders from the Navy, managed to prevent more than 2,400 tons of heavy oil from reaching the French coast, without getting oil on themselves or on their boats.
Since 2003, the Navy has adopted the THOMSEA concept and trains several times a year with fishermen using the THOMSEA nets. The large THOMSEA net can be towed by one or two boats that are at least 12 metres long and 150 hp.
The filtering cod-end is able to contain 8 tons of crude oil or debris before it has to be hoisted. It can be reconditioned and reused very quickly, after about 30 minutes.