Speaking Of Skimmers
The Newport News, Virginia Daily Press has an article on one that is billed as the world’s largest: Giant oil skimmer makes stop in Norfolk on way to Gulf cleanup
NORFOLK — A giant tanker billed as the world’s largest oil skimming vessel will sail Friday to the Gulf of Mexico after a brief stop at the Port of Hampton Roads, with no guarantee it will be allowed to assist in oil-cleanup efforts.
The Taiwanese-owned ship, dubbed the “A Whale,” is one of the world’s largest supertankers at 1,115 feet in length and a nearly 200 foot beam. It was converted last week at a Portuguese shipyard to skim oil off surface waters.
The six-month-old, Liberian-flagged A Whale is designed to work 20 to 50 miles offshore where other, smaller skimmers have trouble navigating and ingest oily water into 12, 16-foot-long intake vents on both sides of its bow.
The vessel needs approval from the EPA and Coast Guard.
The EPA and Coast Guard aren’t the problem, the problem is BP agreeing to using the ship. Since it is so large, it will probably be expensive, which disqualifies it in BP’s plan. There are other large skimmers in the world, and BP hasn’t contracted with any of them. If they bring up the “Jones Act”, that is just bogus. There are no comparable US vessels, so it isn’t competing with anyone.
