World's Largest Oil Skimmer Arrives in Gulf

and it has been sitting idle since Wednesday (it was sitting in Virginia for a while) partly because of Hurricane Alex (now a tropical storm), but mostly because the US government hasn't issued a permit yet (if it ever does).

The 10-story-high, 3 1/2-football field-long skimmer, "A Whale" (like "A team"), is owned by a Taiwanese billionaire who, upon hearing the Gulf oil spill, ordered the ship to be modified so that it can skim over 500,000 barrels of oil PER DAY and generously made the ship available for cleanup operation.

According to AP,

"Dubbed the "A Whale," the Taiwanese-flagged former tanker spans the length of 3½ football fields and is 10 stories high.

"It just emerged from an extensive retrofitting to prepare it specifically for the Gulf.

"It is absolutely gigantic. It's unbelievable," said Overton [Ed Overton, a Louisiana State University environmental studies professor who consults for the federal government on oil spills], who saw the ship last week in Norfolk, Va.

"The vessel looks like a typical tanker, but it takes in contaminated water through 12 vents on either side of the bow. The oil is then supposed to be separated from the water and transferred to another vessel. The water is channeled back into the sea.

"But the ship's never been tested, and many questions remain about how it will operate. For instance, the seawater retains trace amounts of oil, even after getting filtered, so the Environmental Protection Agency will have to sign off on allowing the treated water back into the Gulf.

""This is a no-brainer," Overton said. "You're bringing in really dirty, oily water and you're putting back much cleaner water."

"The Coast Guard will have the final say in whether the vessel can operate in the Gulf. The owner, shipping firm TMT Group, will have to come to separate terms with BP, which is paying for the cleanup.

""I don't know whether it's going to work or not, but it certainly needs to be given the opportunity," Overton said." [For the entire article, click here.]

So, what are the feds doing?

Why it's the Fourth of July weekend! Taking the weekend off, of course! 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, no matter what the situation is.

WWL Radio of New Orleans reports:

"One local official is voicing his frustration over what he calls a "nine-to-five" attitude by some federal authorities in the face of the oil disaster.

"Jefferson Councilman Chris Roberts says the parish has a plan to build rock levees to help keep oil out of inland waterways like Barataria Bay.

"Roberts told WWL First News that after they submitted the proposal to the Army Corps of Engineers last week, Corps officials said last Friday that discussion on the plan would have to be put on hold until the following Monday, because the Corps office would be closed for the weekend.

""Whoever reviews permits, and whatever departments and stakeholders and agencies need to give approval for this...should be working around the clock, just like the people are that are trying to get this oil picked up," Roberts said.

"According to Roberts, after cooling their heels for the weekend, parish officials are still awaiting an answer. He says, however, he would be very surprised to get a response over the long federal holiday weekend to come.

"Roberts told WWL First News that even if some federal responders take the 4th of July weekend off, many parish workers would be working overtime.

""We don't take breaks, this is an emergency for us," he said. "We're going to continue plugging away at it.""

Happy Fourth of July, but I will be cheering for the efforts by the local people in Gulf states and by BP. The feds can stay away as long as they want, as long as they don't hinder the efforts.

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