The U.S. Government has apparently reconsidered a Dutch offer to supply 4 oil skimmers. These are large arms that are attached to oil tankers that pump oil and water from the surface of the ocean into the tanker. Water pumped into the tanker will settle to the bottom of the tanker and is then pumped back into the ocean to make room for more oil. Each system will collect 5,000 tons of oil each day.
One ton of oil is about 7.3 barrels. 5,000 tons per day is 36,500 barrels per day. 4 skimmers have a capacity of 146,000 barrels per day. That is much greater than the high end estimate of the leak. The skimmers work best in calm water, which is the usual condition this time of year in the gulf.
These systems were developed by the Dutch as a safety system in case of oil spills from either wells or tankers. The Dutch have off shore oil development and also import oil in tankers. Their economy, just like ours, runs on oil. They understand that the production and use of oil has dangers and they wanted to be ready to cope with problems like spills. The Dutch system has been used successfully in Europe.
The Dutch offered to fly their skimmer arm systems to the Gulf 3 days after the oil spill started. The offer was apparently turned down because EPA regulations do not allow water with oil to be pumped back into the ocean. If all the oily water was retained in the tanker, the capacity of the system would be greatly diminished because most of what is pumped into the tanker is sea water.
As of June 8th, BP reported that they have collected 64,650 barrels of oil in the Gulf. That is only a fraction of the amount of oil spilled from the well. That is less than one day’s rated capacity of the Dutch oil skimmers.
Turning down the Dutch skimmers just shows a total lack of leadership in the oil spill. To just leave the oil in the water because regulations do not allow you to pump slightly polluted oil back into the ocean is just plain stupid. The small amount of oil pumped back into the ocean with the Dutch system is tiny droplets of suspended oil that will be quickly broken down by naturally occurring bacteria.
Using the Dutch skimmers should have prevented most of the oil from ever getting even close to shore. The Dutch skimmers work best close to the source of the spill where the oil is more concentrated. Outside of that circle, dispersants could be used. Additional smaller skimmers could be used closer to shore to pick up patches that might get through the first 2 rings. The less oil that reaches shore, the less there is to clean up. The less oil that reaches shore, the faster the environment will restored by natural cleaning processes.
Having technology like the Dutch skimmers should also allow us to feel more comfortable about allowing deepwater drilling. If the skimmers work then it greatly lowers the environmental risks from future oil leaks in deep water. One advantage to deepwater wells is they are typically very far from shore, giving a long response time to clean up the problem. There would be no need to have a moratorium on deepwater drilling and having 50,000 people loose their jobs.
This incident with the skimmers just shows the lack of leadership by the President and other government officials. Most people, certainly the local residents, recognized that the government systems to deal with the oil spill were inadequate. It took over 6 weeks for the government to allow the state of Louisiana to build sand berms to protect the marshes, after oil has already entered the marshes. Decisions need to be made, often without full information and sometimes conflicting rules and regulations. The oil well did not stop spilling oil as the government tried to study the problems and make recommendations. There was no one with the authority to make the fast decisions necessary to combat the spill.
I really appreciate everyone's comments. Some of you have asked for references 'Source Documents' to the efforts of the Dutch to help us. Here are some with the first one being the most relevant:
Radio Netherlands Worldwide
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch-oil-spill-response-team-standby-us-oil-disaster
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0601/BP-oil-spill-Will-the-sweeping-arm-system-from-the-Dutch-help
Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012118082_oilforeign15.html
Comments
it is unbelievable that we turned down their offer
This president will not live this lack of decision making down.Even the liberal media has too see what has happened here is borderline criminal negligence.
The BP website shows a picture of the Dutch boom being deployed on June 12, the same day as this "examination" was posted. The CSM reports the booms being flown over on June 1, and that it would take ten days to assemble them. That article also indicates that the booms were requested by the USCG on May 18.
If there's a source that reports that the Dutch equipment was rejected by the US government earlier, it would be interesting to see it. Do you have one?
The explosion occurred on April 20th and the skimmers are now being deployed. What is the rush?
There seems to be a lack of transparency on the Government and BP actions. Where is the MSM in following up on all these apparent screw up by the EPA, and Obama.
The recent reports are that Obama needs to waive some old Act/regulations that prohibit foreign ships working in US waters. Bush waived this several days after Katrina struck.
Surely, the Coast Guard, in charge of the BP spill, has gotten a waiver from EPA to allow all of the skimming vessels with oil/water separators to decant back into the ocean the water part of the skimmed material. Sometimes the water part can amount to over 50% of the skimmed material.
Are you freaking kidding me? We let bureaucracy and bs get in the way of making this issue better and kill thousands of animals. I can't believe this.
Impeach Obozo!!
How many people did he screw over because he would rather golf than accept help from the Dutch...
Mike works for BP.
Interesting, Mike. I, too, would like to see the source documents. I'm still looking for the video on the BP site.
If this is true then President Obama has not done his best to get the leak cleaned up. It is unbelievable that he would so non-responsive.
Some comments have asked me for sources. I have added some links at the bottom of the article where I have referenced sources. The link from Radio Netherlands Worldwide is the most relevant.
I appreciate all of your comments.
The truth will come out. Obama has been slow to deal with this leak. He is trying to control the situation. He should be empowering all of the resources we have available to us; foreign, state, and local. On the national news tonight they showed frustrated local people taking maters into their own hands to clean up the oil. Some of their comments where: "Let them arrest me for cleaning up the oil"!
So with the above logic in a few days when the Dutch system is set in motion no more oil will make it to shore? Much too simplistic a view. Much of the oil still is not skimmable. And never will be. The area of the oil to cover won't allow the max abilities of the skimmers. Get them out there but don't hang your hat on this. Our grand kids will be cleaning this up.
Sources are posted now, but this is not a secret, it's been reported for weeks that US turned down help from the Dutch offered right after the explosion, back in April, I just didn't understand why until now. The skimmers would have been much more effective back then, before the oil spread so far.
If there is an EPA regulation against it, using the Dutch tankers it may not be as simple as it sounds.
What would need to be done in order to suspend the regulation? How hard is it to accomplish?
June 16
The US (Big Oil and World Banksters) doesn’t have the modern technology or the ships rigged for an oil spill response. Why should they, it is easier to buy politicians and illegal dispersants than to be prepared for a spill.
The Belgian firms DEME and Jan De Nul Group contends they can clean up the oil with accuracy at a depth of 6,000 feet.
Obama turned the European offers down.
Today, (a month and half to late) there are US tankers that are steaming to the site with four pairs of modern skimming booms that were airlifted from the Netherlands and should be sucking up oil at the flow site within days.
Each pair can process 5 million gallons of water a day, removing 20,000 tons of oil and sludge.
If those skimmers were in place when they were offered a month ago, each pair could presumably recover 4.4 million barrels of oil.
Four pairs of the state of the art tanker skimmers would be able to suck up 17.6 million barrels in a month, although they will not be able to rea
Horrors, accepting help from a Socialist country that has universal healthcare
This is what happens when America spends a hundred years making idiot sheep out of the people who live here.
'...government systems to deal with the spill [are] inadequate.' If that's not the understatement of the decade, I don't know what is. Government systems are inadequate, period.
GW says:
"Horrors, accepting help from a Socialist country that has universal healthcare."
It's your socialist president that hasn't enough common sense to fill a thimble that refused the help, you fool.
Obama originally rejected the help because he didn't want to offend the US merchant marine union. This pandering to his constituency will cost billions more than necessary and will be reflected in millions of gallons of oil winding up on the beaches, wildlife and marshes, all due to politics. That's your man, progressive democrats. Don't you just love him?
Obama originally rejected the help because he didn't want to offend the US merchant marine union. This pandering to his constituency will cost billions more than necessary and will be reflected in millions of gallons of oil winding up on the beaches, wildlife and marshes, all due to politics. That's your man, progressive democrats. Don't you just love him?
Hey maybe if we agree to an economy crippling energy tax. Lord high mighty Obama will let the skimmers go to work?
My guess is if the news media were functional of anything other than reprinting Obama press releases ...
You have to get the facts from a reliable source before making a judgement, not from some Republican blogger on the internet.
Bizarre to see people think up excuses why the EPA regulation must be good.
The Netherlands also offered to provide equipment and expertise to build the small dikes at the coasts that can be used to protect the inland from the oil. That was not deemed necessary.
Just as -- after pumps that were flown in from the Netherlands had pumped the water out of New Orleans -- after Katrina the plans for new water defence systems (read: dikes) were tuned down to save costs, lowering the safety standards. The dikes that are build in New Orleans now would be illegal in the Netherlands for failing safety tests and guidelines.
There were Dutch marines needed in New Orleans to provide safety, there were Dutch engineers and companies needed to properly build dikes.
Do the American governments actually know how to handle water?
Liberals think that profits that are not confiscated by taxation are a subsidy.
Does Obama think that acting to limit the damage would be a subsidy to BP, because there would be less damage to pay for?
This is blindness, this is madness.
Never let a good crisis go to waste. Barack Hussein Obama cares a lot less about the environment or the livelihoods of the people in the area than he does about his leftist agenda. Nobody who is smart enough to become President can be this stupid and at the same time "accidentally" profit by his "mistakes" to further his leftist agenda. Come on: refusing help because 2% of polluted water flows back into the ocean? Stopping the boats collecting oil because the Coast Guard has to check for life vests? Get real, this is pure sabotage!
First, all the conservatives said, "regulations are bad! Let business do its thing!" Then the spill happened and they said, "Come on government! Quit being lazy, Obama, and intervene with regulations!" Conservatives should have no complaint in this matter. Unfortunately, they are the ones that are complaining the loudest!
EPA is run by morons. Obama appointees jackson.lisaP@epa.gov and giles.cynthia@epa.gov took over a month that it would be better to collect oil off the water, even if the tankers had to discharge "oily water" without a freaking permit.
Yeah those Bushies were just dumb, weren't they?
I really don't understand why people are still talking politics, laws & acts. Lets get things done people, screw politics, the world needs to work together to put an end to this disaster before it is too late.
As I understand, The US gov. has accepted an offer to train Americans in order to use those skimmers. Train them?! Yeah, lets waste another few days/weeks shall we?
Unbelievable.
worrying about regulations is nonsense.
if BO can push people around with healthcare, negotiate payment with BP instead of using the US Constitution (which he should have and it would have taken a day or so) he can certainly ignore any regulation he chooses. wake up people...he doesn't want it fixed...he wants people begging for the gov to help them so he can dole out the kaws he wants
I guess the author of this post didn't read this in the Washington Post, June 14th.
In late May, the administration accepted Mexico's offer of two skimmers and 13,779 feet of boom; a Dutch offer of three sets of Koseq sweeping arms, which attach to the sides of ships and gather oil; and eight skimming systems offered by Norway
<<The offer was apparently turned down because EPA regulations do not allow water with oil to be pumped back into the ocean.>>
Gimme a BREAK will ya? Who is the EPA idiot that thought THIS up. This is a national crises, is it TOO much to ask for a little bit of common since here?
I'll bet if some EPA big whig was in a non-negotiable and untenable situation he would sure as hell want some slack on the regulations-at least until his butt was extracted from the fire.
Darrow...for the Prosecution
Obviously there is a hidden agenda of the New World Order.
"Let this oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico grow to a world wide disaster; when it is worldwide, we, as NWO people, must have the power to reign, because worldwide problems can only be handled by a NWO world wide government.
So please, Dutch people, stay home, like Mohbama tells you."
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Do not worry about the anti-christ; he is nothing compared to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to Yeshua ha Mashiach, Who is with us, every day, untill the end of this world.
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Stupid repukeblicans with an agenda seem to forget that the Washington Post reported that the offer of the skimmers was accepted in May. Very poor work, editors. Check your facts!
GW says:
"Horrors, accepting help from a Socialist country that has universal healthcare."
It's your socialist president that hasn't enough common sense to fill a thimble that refused the help, you fool.====================They have universal healthcare because they allow the expansion of oil drilling in the North Sea. Much like in Alaska, oil pays for many things in socialist country. Too bad our country is run by the Enviro Nuts, who won't allow any new drilling unless it is so far off shore it is unsafe. That is how we got into the fine little mess we are in. If they drilled closer to land, or on land, the leak would have lasted days, not months.
Stupid repukeblicans with an agenda seem to forget that the Washington Post reported that the offer of the skimmers was accepted in May. Very poor work, editors. Check your facts!
=====================================================OK Juan I'll bite, so where are they then if we accepted the offer in May? How come they haven't sucked all the oil up? Probably because they aren't there. Obama was on it from day 1 also. I am sure I read or heard that somewhere, so it must be true.
What do you expect from a bunch of dirty hippies. They were born into crap infested waters. Now shut the hell up a start blaming Bush for this mess.
Re "Sick Of Leftists":
The gas (and oil a bit as well) is indeed one of the most important reasons we have universal health care in the Netherlands. However, that is because we do it sensible and securely.
This whole disaster shows not only the incompetence of BP to act, but also the complete powerless state the US government was in when the drilling platform was approved, needed to be checked and after the disaster had happened. With a well-functioning government the disaster simply wouldn't have grown this big. But all the people wanted was less government and lower taxes.
Now, if you continue breaking down the government and lowering the taxes for long enough you'll end up with a paralysed, bankrupt government that can't do anything properly. The Netherlands has the policy of enforcing strict safety regulations. If after all that a disaster like this would have happened the company would have 24 hours to solve it, otherwise the government would have intervened.
The problem is oil in the Gulf. The solution is EVTN Voraxial Separator 8000 that mechanically separates the oil and water. It cleans the water faster and it doesn't have to wait for oil to drop down to the bottom. Four of these are more efficient than the existing entire fleet. Navy and EPA approved. What's the hangup?
Maria, Another example of a President in over his head. Nick
These systems were requested on May 13th and the first 3 of 6 were delivered by the end of May. Funny this post is dated June 12th yet there is a picture of one of them in collecting oil in the Gulf on June 10th! It's on Flickr add the dot com and then this string photos/deepwaterhorizonresponse/4690498961/. Apparently this site doesn't want links that disprove their lies!
We have enough problems, we don't need a bunch of liars promoting an agenda!
These systems were requested on May 13th and the first 3 of 6 were delivered by the end of May. Funny this post is dated June 12th yet there is a picture of one of them in collecting oil in the Gulf on June 10th! It's on Flickr add the dot com and then this string photos/deepwaterhorizonresponse/4690498961/. Apparently this site doesn't want links that disprove their lies!
We have enough problems, we don't need a bunch of liars promoting an agenda!
These systems were requested on May 13th and the first 3 of 6 were delivered by the end of May. Funny this post is dated June 12th yet there is a picture of one of them in collecting oil in the Gulf on June 10th! It's on Flickr add the dot com and then this string photos/deepwaterhorizonresponse/4690498961/. Apparently this site doesn't want links that disprove their lies!
We have enough problems, we don't need a bunch of liars promoting an agenda!
Just shut the hell up and stop the oil from reaching the shoreline.
Any update on the use of these? Cannot find anything about them actually being used. About 600,000 tons of oil in the gulf now, these arms can vacuum up at least 20,000 tons over 3 days. 7,000 tons leaking in per day.....Where are the arms? Please update if you have any info.
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