Apparatus for deploying and taking up an oil fence

An apparatus for deploying and taking up an oil fence, comprising:

• buoyant side walls jointly comprising a buoyant frame having an interior oil fence receiving space for storing therein an elongated flexible buoyant oil fence having a major width dimension and a minor thickness dimension and which floats with its width dimension generally vertical when deployed in use in water, said buoyant side walls defining a lateral periphery of the oil fence receiving space and extending around the periphery of the oil fence receiving space for protecting the oil fence when it is stored within the oil fence receiving space, said buoyant side walls having a height greater than the width dimension of the oil fence to permit storage of the oil fence with its width dimension vertical, one of said buoyant side walls having an opening therethrough dimensioned to permit the oil fence to be advanced therethrough with its width dimension vertical for deploying it from and taking it up into the oil fence receiving space in use, and said buoyant further comprising a bottom plate-like member attached to said side walls and defining a lower periphery of the oil fence receiving space;
• and
• guide means mounted on said one of said buoyant side walls proximate the opening through said one of said buoyant side walls for guiding the oil fence and for maintaining its width dimension vertical as it is deployed and taken up through the opening, wherein said guide means comprises;
• a first pair of spaced rollers having respective parallel axes of rotation, and a first taut endless belt wound about a respective surface portion of each of the rollers and spanning the space between the first pair of rollers so that rotation of one of the rollers of the first pair advances the first belt and rotates the other roller of the first pair of rollers;
• a second pair of spaced rollers having respective parallel axes of rotation, and a second taut endless belt wound about a respective surface portion of each of the rollers of the second pair and spanning the space between the second rollers so that the rotation of one of the rollers of the second pair advances the second belt and rotates the other roller of the second pair of rollers;
• and
• means mounting said first pair and second pair of rollers with their respective axes of rotation vertical and with their respective belts opposed and spaced to define therebetween a narrow vertical opening for receiving the oil fence with its width dimension vertical and with the oil fence sandwiched between the respective belts and making frictional contact therewith, whereby rotation of one of said rollers advances a respective one of said belts which thereby advances the oil fence between the pair of opposed belts when it is in frictional contact therewith.