Graphene-modified melamine sponges (RGO-MSs) were prepared, as adsorbents with photothermal conversion ability, utilizing solar energy to achieve heavy oil temperature rise, viscosity reduction, and efficient adsorption recovery of highly viscous oil. The RGO-MSs were prepared through a simple impregnation method. The photothermal performance and heavy oil adsorption performances of RGO-MSs with different densities and thicknesses were observed. It was found that as the density increases, the thermal conductivity of RGO-MS increases too, leading to the increase of the average oil absorption rate. The reduction of thickness is beneficial to improving of the adsorption rate. The prepared RGO-MS with a density of 21.5 mg/cm−3 and a height of 1 cm (RGO-MS-3-1) shows excellent mechanical properties and fatigue resistance. Cyclic adsorption–desorption of RGO-MS-3-1 was achieved through extrusion/ ethanol washing. After 10 cycles of reuse through extrusion, the adsorption capacity decreased from 52.90 to 50.02 g g− 1, with a loss of 5.4%. The material was then washed with petroleum ether and ethanol in turn. Its adsorption capacity can restored to 98.8% of the initial value, showing a promising application prospect on heavy oil leakage treatment. The easily prepared RGO-MS exhibits excellent light absorption and photothermal oil adsorption properties, providing a good solution for the problem of heavy oil leakage at sea.