2007 has been a particularly successful year for Markleen, due to our involvement in a number of key projects in strategic markets in Europe and further afield. Coupled to this, 2007 has also seen several major oil spills in markets where Markleen has a strong presence, which while regrettable for those immediately affected, nevertheless go to show the importance of the timely use of oil spill response equipment and materials.

2007 has also seen the consolidation of the famous Markleen Uniboom® X Series single-point self-inflatable boom in a number of markets, notably Norway, Brazil and, more recently, in the Mediterranean, thanks to the newly signed contracts between EMSA (the European Maritime Safety Agency) and ship owners in Malta and Greece. This boom offers several major advantages with respect to traditional manually-inflated booms, specifically speed of deployment and increased operator safety.

In Spain, the year’s most notable event was the Don Pedro spill off Ibiza in July, where Markleen Ecosorb® sorbent booms almost single-handedly prevented disaster. The Spanish Coast Guard, already conscious of the need for large quantities of oil sorbents, issued a Europe-wide public tender which was awarded to Markleen in the autumn.

All of these events have a single common denominator – increased awareness on a worldwide scale of the need for adequate means to tackle oil spills, large or small, wherever they occur.

It is on this optimistic note that we would like to wish all our customers and associates a very Merry Christmas and Happy and Prosperous 2008.