To assess the oil-containment effectiveness of tandem oil fences placed in currents, the movement of oil droplets in the fore and aft region of the fences is investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The effect of the flexibility of the fence skirt of single fence on the fence effectiveness is also investigated. Laboratory experiment is conducted to trace the path of a spherical solid particle of equivalent density to an oil droplet which was released in a uniform stream ahead of a model oil fence. Depending upon the releasing position and the flow condition there, it was observed that the particle floated up to the free surface, collided with the fence, or escaped below the fence. By analyzing the droplet trajectories, a numerical method is developed to predict the region ahead of the fore fence where an oil droplet initiating its motion eventually escapes beneath the fence. The effect of the relative sizes of the drafts of the fore and aft fences, the fence separation, and the bottom depth of the sea bed on the effectiveness of tandem fences is investigated using the numerically obtained trajectories of oil droplets.