This guide defines a series of test methods to determine the oil containment effectiveness of containment booms when they are subjected to a variety of towing and wave conditions. The test methods measure the tow speed at which the boom first loses oil (both in calm water and in various wave conditions), the tow speed at which the boom reaches a gross oil loss condition (both in calm water and in various wave conditions), boom conformance to the surface wave conditions for various wave heights, wavelengths and frequencies, (qualitatively), resulting tow forces when encountering various speeds and wave conditions, identifies towing ability at high speeds in calm water and waves, boom sea-worthiness relative to its hardware (i.e., connectors, ballast members), and general durability.

User'of this guide are cautioned that the ratio of boom draft to tank depth can affect test results, in particular the tow loads (see Appendix X1 discussion).

Other variables such as ease of repair and deployment, required operator training, operator fatigue, and transportability also affect performance in an actual spill but are not measured in this guide. These variables should be considered along with the test data when making comparisons or evaluations of containment booms.