Oil recovery apparatus

Oil recovery apparatus for collecting oil floating on the surface of a body of water, said apparatus comprising a vessel having spaced apart longitudinally extending hulls connected by a bridge structure located between the hulls and having a lower surface inclined downwardly from the front of the vessel toward its rear, the rear edge of said surface being located approximately at the mid-point of the vessel and on its load water line, oil collection means comprising a receptacle having a front wall forming a weir plate member over which oil may enter the receptacle, side walls and a closed bottom, said receptacle being mounted between said hulls in the region of the center of buoyancy of the vessel and being so constructed and arranged that the front wall thereof is located adjacent the rear edge of said bridge structure, means for removing oil from said receptacle, said means comprising an oil suction evacuation conduit, a baffle plate arranged substantially horizontally within said receptacle, spaced above the bottom thereof and having flow equalising slots therein, an open end of said conduit being located adjacent the mid-point of said baffle plate on one side thereof in fluid communication with the space within the receptacle on the other side of said baffle plate via said flow equalising slots, said slots being located in said baffle plate on opposite sides of said conduit, increasing in width toward the opposite ends of said plate and having a total open area substantially equal to that of said conduit open end, the pump means for applying suction to the opposite end of said conduit for removing liquid from said receptacle.