TMT Superskimmer Tamed By Weather, BP Pushes On With Leak Plug
British Petroleum’s strategy against the Gulf of Mexico disastrous oil spill involve a supertanker called a superskimmer. What this thing does is collect the oily water from the gulf, filter it through a series of tanks, separating the oil from the water, and then release the cleansed water back into the gulf.
Ship owner TMT has tried testing this superskimmer recently, but tests were inconclusive, according to TMT, because the seas are high and water is choppy. Testing was set for completion today (Monday), but the company extended the deadline for testing due to bad weather.
Under the same weather conditions, according to company officials, smaller skimming vessels are also struggling to get the job done, no easy task since nature seems to be fighting back and taking its revenge for the BP oil rig explosion that claimed more than ten lives and led to the greatest ecological disaster in the history of the United States of America.
The superskimmer, called “A Whale” is a gigantic, 1,100-foot ship considered a potential redeeming solution in the operation to remove the pollution from the Mexico bay. This mammoth can collect 500,000 barrels of contaminated water per day, according to Reuters.
Despite unclear statistics on the overall quantity of contaminated water in the bay, the supertanker is considered a great improvement in the operation and it will widely increase the amount of water skimmed un the disaster area.
Initial testing of the “A Whale” took place
near Portugal, and the giant ship passed the test without flinching, according to the crew, which prompted gulf operation coordinators to use it in the Gulf of Mexico.
Depending on the result of gulf testing, the ship could bring its owners, Taiwan company TMT (Today Makes Tomorrow), a big contract with BP, and would allow the bringing in of another two ships for the same task.
However, another chink in the situation is the fact that the technology boasted by the A Whale is a novelty and it requires the approval of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Another problem is the so called Jones Act, which prohibits ships waving foreign flags and using foreign crews working in the Gulf of Mexico, according to ABC 13 News.
Thus, the mammoth is still lying docked, waiting for the green light to commence skimming operations.
Meanwhile, British petroleum said it is on track with its efforts to plug the oil leak, and the deadline for the operation remains set for early to mid-August. This year.
On a personal note, however, the entire situation, with the oil leak and the skimmer, prompts the question: if you were in a position of power, would you kill one innocent man if you knew this would save the life of ten men? Because these are the lines along which decisions are made in this scenarios. Law meets economy meets the people. And the decision criteria are not clear-cut. Which side would you be on?
