BP sends some skimming vessels back to the sea as rough conditions from Hurricane Alex ease

BP: Skimmers back on the seas after Hurricane Alex

GULF SHORES, Ala. — BP says it has some oil skimmers back out on the seas off the coasts of Alabama and Louisiana after rough conditions churned up by Hurricane Alex kept them ashore.

Keith Seilhan, BP’s incident commander for Mobile, said Friday that boats were working in limited numbers in protected waters. He says the size of the fleet will increase dramatically as sea conditions calm down.

He says “we are not going to sit around if we can be working.”

The lack of cleaning vessels combined with unfavorable weather meant more oil was being pushed farther onto beaches along the Gulf of Mexico.

G.G. Vassallo, a deputy chief of the operation, says some oil-spotting airplanes and helicopters also had returned to the air after being grounded by Alex.