Coast Guard: Giant oil skimmer won’t work in Gulf spill cleanup, it’s just too big

Giant oil skimmer won’t work in Gulf spill cleanup

NEW ORLEANS — A giant oil skimmer brought in from Portugal is too big to be used in the Gulf cleanup effort.

The Taiwanese vessel “A Whale” was deployed last week along the oil-slicked Gulf Coast. But it’s been determined the skimmer didn’t collect enough oil.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it was too big to maneuver around the smaller patches and ribbons of oil on the water.

Smaller, more agile vessels have been more useful in getting at the oil.

Nearly 33 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.