Global Spill Control’s bunding solution helps United Aero prevent spills

Aviation company United Aero Helicopters operates a modern fleet of helicopters supported by skilled maintenance staff. The company provides specialised helicopter services across Australia.

After securing a large contract to maintain utility pipelines in the outback of New South Wales, United Aero Helicopters identified the need to be able to safely store aviation fuel in remote locations for refuelling of its helicopters. As the fuel would be stored in 44 gallon drums and located in isolated locations for a considerable amount of time, the drums needed to be protected from the changing weather conditions. Protection against spills and environment safety were the two key considerations.

Global Spill Control’s solution to this was to design a collapsible bund made out of 1350 gsm PVC that would hold 4 x 44 gallon drums. The bund sides would collapse to allow the drums to be placed inside and then erect in case of a spill.

To protect the drums from the elements, the company designed a cover out of 900 gsm PVC and also included a 300 mm skirt to the bottom of the cover, which was secured to the base of the bund to prevent the bund from filling up with rainwater. Further consideration had to be given to the fact that a helicopter would be landing near the bunds, so Global Spill Control had to ensure that the covers would not blow off from the turbulence from a helicopter’s propellers. The solution offered by Global Spill Control ticked all of the boxes when it came to the customer’s requirements and environment needs. The company offers a comprehensive range of environmental products, including polypropylene absorbents for oil and chemical spills, and a range of oil skimmers, oil containment booms and oil/water separation systems. It also provides a range of services including oil and chemical spill response training, site inspections, risk assessment and audit reports using the company’s proprietary software program Ecomanager.