Company Overview

SL Ross Environmental Research is one of the world's most experienced oil spill consulting companies. Founded in 1980 the company includes five professionals (three engineers and one biologist, three with advanced degrees) who have a combined experience of 100 person-years in marine oil spill matters. The company has performed over 300 oil spills studies for government and industry, mostly in Canada and the U. S. A., but also in Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Norway, Qatar, Somalia, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela.

About 50% of company activity involves consulting work in the areas of contingency planning, countermeasures stategies/equipment, and training. The other 50% involves research and development to improve oil spill control technologies (much of which is done in the company's test tank facility).

Company professionals have provided services in three of the most important oil spill events that have occurred in the world since 1979 (Ixtoc-1, Exxon Valdez and Gulf War) and are recognized and respected by the major international groups that are involved in oil spill issues, such as the UN International Maritime Organization, and International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd., in London, England.

The firm has has been the main oil spill consultant for every offshore oil and gas venture in Canada, starting with the Beaufort Sea activity in the Arctic in the early 1980s, the Hibernia Project in the mid-1980s off Newfoundland, and the current activities off the east coast of Canada, including Terra Nova, Sable, and Panuke/Cohasset/Deep Panuke. Within the oil spill control community SL Ross has a particular reputation for being a 'technology' company that is in the vanguard of developing new tools, contingency planning techniques and training packages for use around the world.

SL Ross has two main facilities, both in Ottawa, Canada. The first is a regular office where paper studies are done, and the second is a separate warehouse/laboratory where physical studies are performed. The company also takes advantage of Canadian Government facilities around the city, especially the Outdoor Ship Maneuvering Basin operated by the National Research of Canada (NRC) and has done many engineering studies at Ohmsett, the U. S. MMS test tank in New Jersey.

Company Information

Additional Details

Legal Name: SL Ross Environmental Research Ltd.

Number of Employees: 10

Contacts

Services

• Consulting Engineer - Environment-environmental Standards
• Consulting Engineer - Environment-impact Studies
• Consulting Engineer - Environment-pollution Control
• Consulting Engineer - Forest/Fish/Agrltr-fisheries
• Consulting Engineer - Petroleum & Natural Gas-exploration
• Environmental Consultant - Arctic Resources Management
• Environmental Consultant - Biological And Ecosystem Studies
• Environmental Consultant - Coastal Areas And Shoreline Management
• Environmental Consultant - Consulting
• Environmental Consultant - Contingency Planning For Spills
• Environmental Consultant - Emergency Response And Spills Cleanup
• Environmental Consultant - Engineering Design/Specifications
• Environmental Consultant - Environmental Impact Assessments
• Environmental Consultant - Equipment Or Instrument Development
• Environmental Consultant - Facility/Equipment Operation
• Environmental Consultant - Fisheries Management
• Environmental Consultant - Gis Applications
• Environmental Consultant - Industry-petroleum And Coal Products
• Environmental Consultant - Laboratory Testing And Analysis
• Environmental Consultant - Mapping Of Resources/Land Types
• Environmental Consultant - Natural Area Parks, Recreation And Tourism
• Environmental Consultant - Remote Sensing & Image Analysis
• Environmental Consultant - Research
• Environmental Consultant - Risk Assessment
• Environmental Consultant - Systems Modelling Or Design
• Environmental Consultant - Training And Education

Products

• Environmental Products And Services
• Integrated Approach For Spill Countermeasures Assessment.

  We specialize in evaluating spill countermeasures preparedness and ability for specific areas, and making recommendations to upgrade existing capabilities to acceptable levels. This service has been successfully used by various organizations, such as oil companies and industry spill response co-operatives with marine oil production or transportation responsibilities. Assessment methods utilize a highly quantitative approach involving analysis of detailed spill scenarios based on the client's oil spill risks and concerns.

  First, clean up efficiencies are estimated, assuming the operation were to involve best-practice, state-of-the-art capabilities used efficiently under prevailing spill and environmental conditions. The process is repeated for the existing or desired capability. By quantitatively comparing the two cases, correctable deficiencies are identified, leading to recommendations on equipment and vessel acquisitions, contingency planning and training. There is a high degree of client satisfaction with a quantitative approach to countermeasures capability assessment.

• Oil Spill Models And Impact Assessment Systems.

  Computer models describe the trajectory, behaviour and impact of marine oil spills as a function of type (blowout or batch spill), size, oil properties and prevailing environmental conditions. The oil spill behaviour models have been 'ground-truthed' on a number of experimental and real offshore spills.

  Confident modelling of the behaviour of oil requires a good understanding of the spilled oil's properties (such as pour point, viscosity, density, etc.) and its weathering characteristics. In situations where oil types are known in advance of spills (such as at offshore production sites and at tanker loading facilities), inexpensive analysis of these oils can be carried out to determine the oil-property and spill-weathering characteristics that are necessary for the model.

  The behaviour model provides information on the spreading, evaporation, natural dispersion and emulsification of the spill at regular intervals and provides data on the spill's viscosity, density, water content, residual surface oil volume in area, dispersed and evaporated volumes, pour point and thickness. Impact is predicted by integrating data on spill conditions, oil properties, environmental conditions, oil toxicity and resource vulnerability. The system operates very quickly allowing defensible, and thoroughly documented decisions on spill response to be made without undue delay during an emergency situation.

• Oil Spill Planning And Training Services.

  Companies and governments need to prepare comprehensive contingency plans designed to manage various spill situations. These plans examine the entire spill scenario. Beginning with the initial response considerations, the plans identify strategies to be followed by various officials, indicate how the spill clean up is organized, and outline notification and communication procedures and logistical considerations. Clean up strategies are designed to extract the maximum benefit from clean up resources and to minimize the effects on the local environment and wildlife populations.

  Training course development typically starts with a clear identification of the training needs of a particular organization. Working from a base curriculum, course content and delivery methods are modified to suit the range of spill types, the particular environment of concern, as well as the previous experience of trainees. Unique and particular popular courses today include our dispersant course and our course on in situ burning of marine oil spills.

NAICS Categories

• 541330 Engineering Services
• 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services

Additional Information