Kevin Costner is not the only one with a new oil-water separator to use on the oil spill. Another never-before-tested separating system is in the hull of an oil skimmer. Early Friday morning, the giant ship was finally given Coast Guard clearance to ease out of the Mississippi and into the Gulf for a trial run.
The vessel is some 350 yards in length and about 100 yards wide. The name of the huge oil skimmer makes perfect sense: It’s called “A Whale.”
The ship is just a giant, floating decanter. The captain will wiggle the ship’s nose very slowly and water will rush through the slats into a series of tanks. As the oil rises to the top, it’ll be siphoned off and the water goes back into the Gulf — still oily, but less so.
Kevin Costner is not the only one with a new oil-water separator to use on the oil spill. Another never-before-tested separating system is in the hull of an oil skimmer. Early Friday morning, the giant ship was finally given Coast Guard clearance to ease out of the Mississippi and into the Gulf for a trial run.
The vessel is some 350 yards in length and about 100 yards wide. The name of the huge oil skimmer makes perfect sense: It’s called “A Whale.”
The ship is just a giant, floating decanter. The captain will wiggle the ship’s nose very slowly and water will rush through the slats into a series of tanks. As the oil rises to the top, it’ll be siphoned off and the water goes back into the Gulf — still oily, but less so.
