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absorbents, where it is too shallow for the vessel to go. The largest BoomVane ? the Ocean BoomVane ? is designed for coastal and offshore single vessel operations with medium to large oil booms and advancing containment and recovery systems. All BoomVane units are built for maximum performance in water speeds ranging from one to ve knots and are self-balancing, so no adjust- ments or trimming is required. More than 400 BoomVanes have been supplied around the world, helping responders to quickly and ef ciently contain and/or de ect oil to protect shorelines and sensitive aquatic habitats. No doubt, and in conjunction with Elastec?s new X-150 skimmer, hundreds more will be sold in the near term. Ultimately, the en- vironment will be the real benefactor. LOOKING BACK : WORKING FORWARD A common complaint in the wake of the EXXON VALDEZ disaster was that oil spill response research ? when it wasn?t being thwarted by regula- tory constraints here at home ? was too oil tanker centric and not focused enough on the emerging threats of Arctic melting and the burgeoning oil & gas, deepwater markets. There was (perhaps) merit to that argument, but not when it came to the efforts of Elastec and its innovative efforts. The best may be yet to come. With three primary technologies driving the oil spill response markets of today ? all of which seem to ema-nate from Elastec itself ? innovation may be the least of our problems. The question of what comes next is likely being drawn up as you read this article, in the workshops of Elastec. Count on it.Ocean Boomvane.www.marinelink.com MN 37MN April2013 Layout 32-49.indd 37MN April2013 Layout 32-49.indd 374/3/2013 12:45:21 PM4/3/2013 12:45:21 PM