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M/V A WHALE newly converted super tanker to oil skimmer

Posted on 6/29/10 at 1:59 pm
Posted by bayoudude
Member since Dec 2007
25833 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 1:59 pm
Headed to the gulf for testing. Lets just hope EPA doesn't hold it up before it could make a difference.

The six opening's(Six on both sides of the vessel, 12 opening's in all) near the bow of the vessel that pulls in the oil"A Whale", is billed as the largest oil skimmer vessel in the world docked at Norfolk International Terminal for today before sailing to the Gulf area this afternoon. The A Whale is 1115 feet long and 196 feet wide and can hold 1 million barrels of recovered oil.
This post was edited on 6/29/10 at 3:17 pm
Posted by halleburton
Member since Dec 2009
1597 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:14 pm to
unbelievable....

serious question though, how do they keep the six slots at water level while skimming?
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:19 pm to
They are cutting through the red tape. It will be on its way shortly.


What's even more frustrating is

quote:

The Jones Act does not even apply to skimming operations outside of 3 miles from shore. Oil skimming outside 3 miles, including near the well 50 miles from shore that is the source of the leak, is completely open to foreign oil spill response vessels.
This post was edited on 6/29/10 at 2:23 pm
Posted by TigerFred
Feeding hamsters
Member since Aug 2003
27803 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:26 pm to
quote:

waiting on Gov. approval


That is the problem. I have been saying it from the beginning.

Posted by Decatur
Member since Mar 2007
31481 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:27 pm to
I believe it's already in the GOM
Posted by guttata
prairieville
Member since Feb 2006
22601 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:27 pm to
Gotta make sure where they're going to send it. I'd imagine they first send it to Fla, due to them having more electoral votes.
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:31 pm to
quote:

I believe it's already in the GOM


nope, it's in route but it's not in the GOM just yet
Posted by jennBN
Member since Jun 2010
3242 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:36 pm to
the two slowest groups to accomplish anything is the US gov. and a large corporation....
Posted by bayoudude
Member since Dec 2007
25833 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:36 pm to
quote:

serious question though, how do they keep the six slots at water level while skimming?


I would imagine this ship has a salt water ballasting system to keep the vessel trimmed correctly.

Even if it is in route why weren't assets like this mobilized from the get go?
Posted by Decatur
Member since Mar 2007
31481 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:39 pm to
quote:

nope, it's in route but it's not in the GOM just yet


quote:

A massive, newly-retooled supertanker that its owner claims could skim millions of gallons of oily water a day is now in the Gulf of Mexico, where government and BP officials intend to run tests shortly to see if it actually works.


quote:

Though the ship and the process are entirely untested, Su insisted A Whale could ingest and process some 15 million gallons of oily water a day. By comparison, the entire emergency response since BP's Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20 has collected 28 million gallons of oily water.

Over at the unified command center in downtown New Orleans, federal and BP officials are said to be responding with a combination of enthusiasm and caution.

"They're about as excited as you can be about something that you have no idea what it can do," said Kati Walsh, a spokesperson for the disaster's Joint Information Center. "They want to remain in a neutral position about it until after it proves itself," she said. "We don't want to get everybody excited about something that may or may not work."


quote:

But communication appears to be a problem. Segal didn't know the unified command's intentions until he heard about them from the Huffington Post. And the unified command didn't know the ship was already in the Gulf, which, according to the latitude and longitude Segal provided to HuffPost, it is.

No meeting or test has yet been scheduled because federal and BP officials "haven't determined the what or when or how it will get here," Walsh said.

The ship was built in South Korea, has a Liberian registry and is owned by a Taiwanese company, but Walsh said the Jones Act -- which limits the operation of foreign flagged vessels in U.S. waters -- was not a factor as much as the nature of the ship.

While more traditional "vessels of opportunity" are allowed to start skimming without government pre-approval, this one would not be allowed to do so, she said. "The ship was just built, it hasn't been proven yet, hasn't been officially or formally tested yet."


LINK
Posted by guttata
prairieville
Member since Feb 2006
22601 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:41 pm to
The ship has been a skimmer for like 18 days. They just finished it and it is heading to the Gulf.
Posted by BhamTigah
Lurker since Jan 2003
Member since Jan 2007
17280 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:44 pm to
They say it was just built, but the picture posted above does not look like a new ship.
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:45 pm to
How the frick did it get from Norfolk to GOM in less than 24 hours?? I dont think that report is accurate.
Posted by bayoudude
Member since Dec 2007
25833 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:46 pm to
Just newly modified. Got an email about this thing and looked for the first info I could find. It makes me feel better that it is a new to the job and hasn't been sitting around somewhere for a long time. Hopefully it can make a difference. New are not its specs are ridiculous.
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:46 pm to
quote:


They say it was just built, but the picture posted above does not look like a new ship.



It was just converted, not built
Posted by MC123
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2005
2042 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:50 pm to
EDIT:

quote:

The ship has been a skimmer for like 18 days. They just finished it and it is heading to the Gulf.


well that's better. edit the OP
This post was edited on 6/29/10 at 2:55 pm
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 2:51 pm to
The six month old ship, Owned by the Thaiwanese company TMT, was originally built as a super-tanker and then recently refitted as a gigantic oil skimmer for specific use in the Gulf.

Posted by Bard
Definitely NOT an admin
Member since Oct 2008
57703 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 4:14 pm to
quote:

waiting on Gov. approval


How hard is it for Thad Allen to say "get that fricker here NOW"?
Posted by omegaman66
greenwell springs
Member since Oct 2007
26241 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 4:54 pm to
quote:

Even if it is in route why weren't assets like this mobilized from the get go?


There are only two possible reasons that I can think of.
1. Obama administration are a bunch of freaking idiots.
2. Obama administration wants the disaster to be as big and bad as possible.

Any other possibilities to consider.

Posted by Decatur
Member since Mar 2007
31481 posts
Posted on 6/29/10 at 5:09 pm to
Did you even read the whole thread?

quote:

2. Obama administration wants the disaster to be as big and bad as possible.


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