1. How is oil cleaned up mechanically?
Floating booms are used to surround an oil slick so that skimmer boats can vacuum up the oil and put it on barges.

2. How is oil cleaned up mechanically?
Absorbent pads filled with feathers or hair are used to soak up the oil.

3. How is oil cleaned up mechanically?
Once the oil reaches shore human work crews are deployed to manually shovel, wipe down rocks with rags, and spray emulsifiers.

4. How is oil cleaned up chemically?
Floating oil is sprayed with coagulating agents that cause the oil to clump and sink to the bottom of the ocean where it is less harmful.
Dispersing agents like detergents are used to break up the oil and scatter it on the currents.
Shorelines contaminated with oil are often treated with bioremediation. In bioremediation, oil eating bacteria or other biological agents are sprayed on the rocks to remove the oil.

5. How can oil pollution be prevented in the ocean?
Place signs on storm drains reminding people not to dump oil.
Have community oil recycling programs.
Double hulling on oil tankers reduces the risk and severity of a spill in case of a collision or accidental grounding.