Elastec/American Marine is hosting dealers from 16 countries this week for advanced training on oil spill response equipment in Carmi, Fairfield, Albion and new Harmony, Ind.

EAM, a manufacturer of pollution control and recovery equipment, welcomed dealers from Hungary, Vietnam, Germany, Australia, France, Russia, South Korea, Norway, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Trinidad, China, Colombia and Mexico.

the week-long session includes hands-on training and deployment of oil skimmers, pumps, containment and fire booms, solid waste vacuum systems and incineration equipment.

a demonstration of EAM's Hydro-Fire Boom and NeatSweep system took place at 9 a.m. Wednesday on the Wabash River near new Harmony. Towing assistance was provided by Mt. Vernon, Ind.-based CountryMark, a member of the Ohio River Emergency Response Cooperative. CountryMark's E-24 fast Response boat is also manufactured by EAM, according to Shon Mosier, EAM's sales manager.

Two area legislators, state Sen. Dale Righter and state Rep. David Reis, also toured EAM's facilities on West Main Street and Country Club Road Thursday morning. the men were escorted by EAM executives Jeff Cantrell and Jeff Bohleber, and both expressed amazement at what the local firm has accomplished during its roughly 20-year history.

Elastec/American Marine serves several niche segments of the water pollution recovery market: oil spill, marine debris, industrial and agricultural wastewater, and construction and urban storm water runoff. the company also manufactures equipment for the thermal treatment of medical and clinical waste, controlled combustion of drug contraband and waste-to-energy incineration.

Winner of the XPrize Foundation's Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup XChallenge, Elastec/American Marine's products are marketed through a global network of dealers and direct sales. Company information can be found at elastec.com and for XChallenge information, visit iprizecleanoceans.org.

Elastec welcomes international audience