A supertanker converted to operate as a giant oil skimmer will be tested on Saturday to see if it is ready for use in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill cleanup.
The 1,100-foot long ore and oil carrier, owned by TMT shipping of Taiwan and dubbed the 'A Whale', can collect 500,000 barrels (21 million gallons) per day of contaminated water.
Once 48 hours of tests by the Coastguard are completed, TMT hopes to sign a contract with BP that could boost the collection capacity of that operation significantly.
Hurricane Alex brought a halt to oil skimming but prior to its arrival in the Gulf 500 boats were involved in the operation and at a peak 650 vessels were taking part.
In total, they have skimmed 595,000 barrels of oil and water mix from the sea in the first 68 days of the spill, according to company spokesmen. But the tanker can skim up to 300,000 barrels in a single 8-10 hour period.
It was unclear how much oily water was in the Gulf and thus how much of a dent the tanker would make in the pollution. Oil from BP's blown-out well began spewing into the waters off Louisiana after an oil rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers.
Contaminated water enters the ship through 12 long horizontal slits on the ship's port and starboard sides and it is then decanted through a series of tanks to separate oil and water.
Eventually, the oil can be transferred on to a second ship while the water is tipped back into the sea.
