NEWSLETTER - July 2002- Issue No. 17

Petrobras buys Hydro-Fire Boom®
7000 ft. of floating fire proof barriers for marine oil fires is designated for spill control bases in Brazil
Petrobras, Brazil's government owned oil company, has purchased equipment to prevent the spread of oil fires on water. Petrobras chose Elastec/American Marine's Hydro-Fire Boom® to protect their operations during petroleum spills around Brazil.
Elastec/American Marine's Marketing Director, David Muse reports from Rio de Janeiro that Petrobras is expanding its growing oil spill response capabilities across the country. Nine bases have been built in strategic locations.
The specially formed company Alpina/Briggs is contracted to provide spill response services in each base. Alpina/Briggs Executive Director Marco Formicola explains that response teams are trained and on duty in each location. Each base is purpose built and equipped with the latest in spill response technology. Response Operations Co-Ordinator, Captain Bill Boyle's teams run expert operations in each facility. The introduction of important new equipment such as Hydro-Fire Boom® requires training for the response teams. Elastec/American Marine experts are scheduled to travel to Brazil in late August for seminars and training sessions.
The growing list of Hydro-Fire Boom® owners indicates the importance companies place on fire protection and in-situ burning. Awareness of the advantages of fireproof boom is increasing and more widespread use of fire boom as a response tool appears inevitable. Petrobras purchased seven Hydro-Fire Boom® systems. Each system is one thousand feet in length.

Diesel spill proves capabilities of Elastec/AMI skimmer
When a seismic vessel used in the North Sea sank at her mooring in Bergen, Norway, the ship leaked diesel from large tanks below decks. Boom was deployed and skimmers were put in place to retrieve the diesel. It became apparent to responders that Elastec/American Marine's skimmer was superior to the other models.Eventually, Elastec/ American Marine’s Magnum 200 was chosen to recover the spilled diesel. The skimmer worked constantly for a total of ten weeks. For much of that time, the skimmer removed sheen from the water surface. Elastec's agent for Norway, Einar Christensen reports that the Elastec/American Marine skimmer recovered 130 tons of diesel at the spill site.

Growth in Florida division requires addition of two employees.
Mr. Jeff Pearce, Vice President and General Manager of Elastec/American Marine's boom and barrier manufacturing division in Cocoa, Florida announced recently that two professional sales people have been added to his staff.
Mr. Mark Wilkie, joins Elastec/American Marine after an international career in sales. Born in South Africa, Mark has been involved with businesses on three continents. Mark will head the growing Baffle and Curtain division. His talents Growth in Florida division requires addition of two employees.
have already been appreciated and his drive and enthusiasm have given the company a welcome boost. Mr. Luis Vargas joins Elastec/ American Marine with five years experience in the industry. His extensive knowledge of spill control products will be invaluable to the company. Mr. Vargas is a native of Colombia, in South America. His bilingual skills are very important, especially with his product knowledge and his ability to discuss technical issues in both languages.

Website Updated
Elastec/American Marine CEO Donnie Wilson announced recently that Elastec/American Marine will soon launch a new web site. www.elastec.com has been updated to include new products and information. The site should be completely loaded no later than July 1st. There are now over 100 pages available for viewing. Improvements to the site include easier navigation and more comprehensive product information.
Both dealers and customers can consult the new site for the most recent data and reports available. Choose from five product sections and check out the photo albums. Let us know what you think about our new site. We look forward to hearing from you.

Smart Ash Commissioning in Russia
Alex Wilson, Manager of Eastern European Operations confirms another order of Smart Ash incinerators has been made by the Russian oil company SIBNEFT. Smart Ash was commissioned in OAO SIBNEFT-Noyabrskneftegas, Russia for the oil company (see picture). Smart Ash incinerators are used to eliminate oily waste, filters and general refuse. The Russian company purchased fifty units last year for their large operation and repeated the order this year.

MediBurn has new Controller
Research and Development Co-ordinator, Jeff Cantrell reports that MediBurn, small, batch load incinerator available in diesel or natural gas has a new electronic controlling device. The new controller is even easier to use than the previous model. Operators need only push a button to choose the cycle time and another button to start the incinerator.
The controller automatically controls incinerator functions, making this incinerator one of the easiest in the world to use. Automatic control is an important feature for the unit because many of the MediBurns are used by people with little previous exposure to industrial equipment. Anyone, anywhere can use MediBurn. It is a load, start and walk away system. People living in remote locations have often had no exposure to modern equipment. The automatic feature makes MediBurn a logical choice for their disposal problems.
MediBurn also features dual chambers to provide an environmentally sound, as well as affordable solution to medical waste problems. Many of the world's areas that most need medical waste disposal are remote and have few disposal options available.

Boom Reel Orders at All Time High
Boom reel orders at Elastec/American Marine have reached an all time high. Our increased capacity to fill large orders is due to broader manufacturing capabilities. Elastec/American Marine is committed to manufacturing equipment to the highest standards in the industry.
Elastec/American Marine engineering and technical personnel have redesigned aspects of boom reels to include a direct drive component on the spooling mechanism. All equipment is manufactured to strict codes of quality control.

Turbidity business becoming clear
Elastec/American Marine's reputation for excellence in the manufacture of turbidity curtains is growing throughout the industry. A recent report by turbidity curtain Sales Manager, Mark Wilkie, confirms that Elastec/American Marine is the company of choice for curtain projects that are technically challenging.
Vortex diving of Oakland California had the difficult task of repairing the eroded floor of a large dam. The job would require the largest curtain ever built to extend 100 feet into the depths of the dam. Sophisticated barges and highly skilled divers were used in the operation.
Vortex ordered the curtain built to exacting specifications. The curtain is now in place and we will be updated on the project in the near future.

Emergency order filled quickly
The call came in to the office in Cocoa, Florida on Sunday morning, May 5th. A spill in Angola required an emergency shipment of 3,000 ft. of boom.
Jeff Pearce, Vice President and General Manager of American Marine put together a team to take care of the emergency shipment and by Sunday afternoon, 3,000 feet of Optimax II was on its way to Africa. Customers can depend on Elastec/American Marine to do the best job possible in supplying their requirements, even on short notice. We strive to stock what you need so that orders can be filled when emergencies arise.

Hydraulically Operated Pressure Washer
The perfect solution for cleaning skimmers and other equipment after use. The HOP unit is powered by the skimmer power pack, eliminating the need for multiple power sources in the field. Ask our salesmen to tell you more.