Invention Number 2

My second invention is also designed to be used from the deck of a boat. Since this invention can be folded up compactly and stored easily, this is ideal even for oil tankers to keep on their boats in the event of a spill.  Many boats have extendable arms such as this one:

photo credit

My invention makes use of these arms (although they would need to be much larger for use on a oil tanker). 

Invention #2: Fine mesh netting to skim oil

Explanation: These large sheets, or rectangular pieces, of fine mesh allow water to pass through, but not the thick oil. The sheets have metal rings at the top to attach them to the arms. There are also rings at the bottom. Workers thread rope through the rings at the bottom before lowering the mesh into the water. This allows them to pull the mesh back on the boat when it is heavy with oil. The net is then sprayed with a hose to remove the excess oil. It can then be put back in the water for another pass through.

The picture below demonstrates the fine mesh netting sheet in use.