A Whale
| 300px A Whale conducting a test run of its oil skimming capabilities as part of the Deepwater Horizon response July 4, 2010. | |
| Career | <tr valign="top"><td>Name:</td><td>
A Whale</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Owner:</td><td>
Taiwan Maritime Transport Co. Ltd. (TMT) |
|---|---|
| General characteristics
<tr valign="top"><td>Class & type:</td><td> Lloyds Register: 100A1</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Type:</td><td> Ore-oil carrier</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Tonnage:</td><td> 319,869 DWT</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Length:</td><td> 340 m (1,120 ft)</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Beam:</td><td> 60 m (200 ft)</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Draught:</td><td> 11.3 m (37 ft)</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Speed:</td><td> 13.7 kn (25.4 km/h; 15.8 mph)</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Notes:</td><td> [1][2]</td></tr> | |
A Whale is a Liberian-flagged ore-oil carrier built in 2010 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea for Taiwan Maritime Transport Co. Ltd. (TMT) from the Republic of China (Taiwan). She has four other sister ships in the fleet, named in succession: B Whale, C Whale, D Whale, and E Whale.[3]
Oil skimming experiments
She was refitted and converted in Portugal into a skimmer to assist in the clean up of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Gulf of Mexico, near the Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana. The ship's owners stated that A Whale is capable of separating 300,000 to 500,000 US gallons (1,000 to 2,000 m3) of oil per day, while storing the crude and returning the processed sea water to the sea.[4]
A Whale arrived in the Gulf of Mexico on 30 June 2010, while financial agreements were yet pending.[5] However, in two weeks of testing A Whale collected virtually no oil. TMT stated that the ship's poor performance was due to the dispersion of oil in the Gulf.[6]
On July 16, the Coast Guard announced it would not be authorized to join the containment process because tests had shown that its oil skimming capabilities were "negligible" in comparison to the other more nimble and much smaller skimmers in the containment.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Vessel's Details and Current Position: A WHALE - 9424209". MarineTraffic. 2010. http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=636014465. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ↑ "A Whale". Auke Visser's International Super Tankers. 1 July 2010. http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/bulkers/id453.htm. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ↑ "Our Fleet". NOS Management. Friday, 18 June 2010. http://www.nosship.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=61. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ↑ McClay, Rebecca L. (4 July 2010). "BP tests Taiwanese oil-skimming ship". MarketWatch. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bp-tests-taiwanese-oil-skimming-ship-2010-07-04?reflink=MW_news_stmp. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ↑ "Gulf Oil Spill: 'A Whale' Of A Skimmer Offers Up Its Services". The Huffington Post. 29 June 2010. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/29/gulf-oil-spill-a-whale-of_n_629575.html. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ↑ "Giant 'super skimmer' no help with Gulf oil spill". Reuters. 16 July 2010. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFN1614683620100716. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ↑ "“A Whale” Operational Review Completed". Restore the Gulf. Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center. 17 July 2010. http://app.restorethegulf.gov/go/doc/2931/789183/. Retrieved 9 September 2010.[dead link]
External links
- A Whale (IMO: 9424209) at VesselTracker
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