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Taiwanese oil 'super skimmer' arrives in Gulf of Mexico

ludahai

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A massive ship converted into a “super skimmer” has arrived in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to assist with cleanup of the BP oil spill, a government spokeswoman said Thursday.
The 335-meter-long ore and oil carrier, dubbed the “A Whale,” is being provided by the owner, TMT Shipping of Taiwan, and can collect 500,000 barrels per day of contaminated water, said Chris Coulon, a spokeswoman for the joint incident command.

Nice to see that once again Taiwan is acting as a friend to the United States and sending assistance when it is needed.

According to what I just saw on CNN, they are still assessing the environmental impact of returning the water back into the Gulf after this ship has skimmed it. THis I simply don't understand. Surely, returning nearly oil-free water to the Gulf can't be nearly as bad as leaving the oil in there....
 
According to what I just saw on CNN, they are still assessing the environmental impact of returning the water back into the Gulf after this ship has skimmed it. THis I simply don't understand. Surely, returning nearly oil-free water to the Gulf can't be nearly as bad as leaving the oil in there....
Because the skimming process doesnt remove all the oil from the water.
 
Wouldn't it be better to remove MOST of the oil rather than leave it all in there?

Yes it would be

I expect they want to ensure however that the method of removing the oil does not produce even more toxic substances.

If it is a purely mechanical method of purification then there is not likely to be a problem, a chemical and/or heat methods of purification might produce a more toxic substance
 
Because the skimming process doesnt remove all the oil from the water.

It doesn't remove all the oil, so let's just leave things as they are. That's trully brilliant.
 
Wouldn't it be better to remove MOST of the oil rather than leave it all in there?

It doesn't remove all the oil, so let's just leave things as they are. That's trully brilliant.
It isnt done for the same reason we dont blow up an asteroid on an impact course for Earth; you take one big problem and turn it into thousands of smaller and harder to see problems.

Removing what you can see from the water doesn't guarantee that you've removed everything. You can leave behind residue that is harder to detect and harder to capture but will still cause environmental damage.
 
It isnt done for the same reason we dont blow up an asteroid on an impact course for Earth; you take one big problem and turn it into thousands of smaller and harder to see problems.

Removing what you can see from the water doesn't guarantee that you've removed everything. You can leave behind residue that is harder to detect and harder to capture but will still cause environmental damage.

Again, let's just do nothing...because...well...that would be like, better. The common sense definciency in our country blows me away.

And somehow, Libbos expect to be taken seriously. Incredible!
 
Removing what you can see from the water doesn't guarantee that you've removed everything. You can leave behind residue that is harder to detect and harder to capture but will still cause environmental damage.

So, the solution is not to capture ANY of it and let ALL of it sit there in the Gulf, swirl around, get beached and possibly get caught up in the Gulf Stream... yeah, great logic....

Or, is this because some of you are too proud to accept help from a small island country on the other side of the world that doesn't speak English?!?!?
 
Again, let's just do nothing...because...well...that would be like, better. The common sense definciency in our country blows me away.

And somehow, Libbos expect to be taken seriously. Incredible!

Uh, that's not what he said.

He's aganist replacing a smaller problem with a bigger problem. So yes, in that context, leaving the smaller problem in place is a preferable choice then replacing it with a larger problem.

You don't refinance your 5% mortgage with a 4.9% that comes with a string of rules, points and costs that makes it far less financially appealing then your current rate. If the outcome is worse then the current situation, doing nothing is preferable.

If you expect to be taken seriously you need to respond to what he said and not an obvious fabrication of your own design.
 
Uh, that's not what he said.

He's aganist replacing a smaller problem with a bigger problem. So yes, in that context, leaving the smaller problem in place is a preferable choice then replacing it with a larger problem.

You don't refinance your 5% mortgage with a 4.9% that comes with a string of rules, points and costs that makes it far less financially appealing then your current rate. If the outcome is worse then the current situation, doing nothing is preferable.

If you expect to be taken seriously you need to respond to what he said and not an obvious fabrication of your own design.

That's exactly what he said. We're not talking about refinancing a mortgage. Perhaps you're on the wrong thread? Learn to read, for once. Thank you!

Replacing a smaller problem with a bigger problem? Let's see, removing oil from the water is going to make the GOM oil slick worse...how? If that's the idea here, then stupidity reigns supreme.
 
The EPA wants the returned water to be 99.9985% pure.

I do not believe that oil saturated water can be cleansed to this degree of purity.

But hey, rules are rules.
 
That's exactly what he said.

In what langugage? He clearly stated that the outcome of using chemical dispersents could result in a residue that is harder to remove and causes damage.

We're not talking about refinancing a mortgage. Perhaps you're on the wrong thread? Learn to read, for once. Thank you!

Main Entry: anal·o·gy
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈna-lə-jē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural anal·o·gies
Date: 15th century

1 : inference that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will probably agree in others
2 a : resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike : similarity b : comparison based on such resemblance
3 : correspondence between the members of pairs or sets of linguistic forms that serves as a basis for the creation of another form
4 : correspondence in function between anatomical parts of different structure and origin — compare

Analogy - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Learn English comprehension for once.

Replacing a smaller problem with a bigger problem? Let's see, removing oil from the water is going to make the GOM oil slick worse...how? If that's the idea here, then stupidity reigns supreme.

So you don't actually care about what he said. You just want to attack him on your fabrications and deliberely not discuss what he posted. Got it. You want a discussion with yourself and don't like people pointing out how what you are responding to isn't what Hoplite posted.
 
In what langugage? He clearly stated that the outcome of using chemical dispersents could result in a residue that is harder to remove and causes damage.



Main Entry: anal·o·gy
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈna-lə-jē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural anal·o·gies
Date: 15th century

1 : inference that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will probably agree in others
2 a : resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike : similarity b : comparison based on such resemblance
3 : correspondence between the members of pairs or sets of linguistic forms that serves as a basis for the creation of another form
4 : correspondence in function between anatomical parts of different structure and origin — compare

Analogy - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Learn English comprehension for once.



So you don't actually care about what he said. You just want to attack him on your fabrications and deliberely not discuss what he posted. Got it. You want a discussion with yourself and don't like people pointing out how what you are responding to isn't what Hoplite posted.

If you clean your kitchen counter with a dish rag once and the grease isn't gone, what do you do? Go over it again, right?

Duuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

If it takes two passes, then make two passes. That's just some more-a-that-good-ole-common sense. I know it's hard for some folks.
 
The EPA wants the returned water to be 99.9985% pure.

I do not believe that oil saturated water can be cleansed to this degree of purity.

But hey, rules are rules.

Yeah, so sense we can't achieve 99.999999% purity, let's do nothing.
 
If you clean your kitchen counter with a dish rag once and the grease isn't gone, what do you do? Go over it again, right?

Duuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

If it takes two passes, then make two passes. That's just some more-a-that-good-ole-common sense. I know it's hard for some folks.

It is amazing how people in other parts of the United States are reacting to this crisis in the Gulf. I feel for people like yourself who are down there. We should do everything we can to clean this up. This Taiwanese ship can help. Let it help...

This has been getting a LOT of coverage in the Taiwanese media and the general reaction is both shock that this could happen in the US (Taiwan is an overwhelmingly pro-US country) and sympathy for those who are losing their livelihoods over this...
 
If you clean your kitchen counter with a dish rag once and the grease isn't gone, what do you do? Go over it again, right?

Apparently you think that hoplite never stated the following:

You can leave behind residue that is harder to detect and harder to capture but will still cause environmental damage.

Despite the fact that you quoted just that in post #7.

Do you clean your kitchen rag with a chemical that leaves behind a residue that is harder to remove then grease or do you do something else that doesn't leave a bigger problem?

Duuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

If it takes two passes, then make two passes. That's just some more-a-that-good-ole-common sense. I know it's hard for some folks.

You seem to be operating under the assumption that the chemical residues left over from cleans are easy to remove.

Perhaps reading and responding to what people actually wrote is too difficult for you. I do know it's hard for some folks to actually reply honestly to what other posters wrote and instead must concoct blantantly obvious fabrications to compensate for their lack of reading skills, honesty or skill.
 
You seem to be operating under the assumption that the chemical residues left over from cleans are easy to remove.

Perhaps reading and responding to what people actually wrote is too difficult for you. I do know it's hard for some folks to actually reply honestly to what other posters wrote and instead must concoct blantantly obvious fabrications to compensate for their lack of reading skills, honesty or skill.

So, the solution is just leave all of the oil in there?!?!? The set of logic rules that some liberals operate under is simply baffling. I can't stand James Carville, but he has actually had one of the best heads regarding this entire fiasco from the beginning. I suggest you try this logic on him and see how far you will get...
 
So, the solution is just leave all of the oil in there?

No, just don't use the chemical disperments that leave a bigger problem.

I don't get why you people are having problems with this. See post #4.

"Doing nothing" in this case is not using methods that create bigger problems. Hence why we should go with Costner's oil centrifuges which I believe doesn't leave residues over using chemicals that do.
 
No, just don't use the chemical disperments that leave a bigger problem.

I don't get why you people are having problems with this. See post #4.

"Doing nothing" in this case is not using methods that create bigger problems. Hence why we should go with Costner's oil centrifuges which I believe doesn't leave residues over using chemicals that do.

We are not talking about chemicals that DISPERSE the oil, we are talking about a ship that REMOVES it...
 
Again, let's just do nothing...because...well...that would be like, better. The common sense definciency in our country blows me away.

And somehow, Libbos expect to be taken seriously. Incredible!

So, the solution is not to capture ANY of it and let ALL of it sit there in the Gulf, swirl around, get beached and possibly get caught up in the Gulf Stream... yeah, great logic....

Or, is this because some of you are too proud to accept help from a small island country on the other side of the world that doesn't speak English?!?!?
No one is suggesting doing nothing, but what people dont want is to rush a solution that will only create bigger problems. I know this is a big Conservative "thing", but it's not a positive road to take.

Rushing in with a solution that may make your problem worse is not a good way to solve problems.
 
No one is suggesting doing nothing, but what people dont want is to rush a solution that will only create bigger problems. I know this is a big Conservative "thing", but it's not a positive road to take.

Rushing in with a solution that may make your problem worse is not a good way to solve problems.

And removing oil makes the problem worse?!?!? Dispersants do make elements of the problem worse, and there was no rush to stop using those...
 
And removing oil makes the problem worse?!?!? Dispersants do make elements of the problem worse, and there was no rush to stop using those...
Removing oil leaves behind contaminants that are difficult to detect or remove. If the mass of the oil stays in the water, these contaminants cling to the oil
 
Removing oil leaves behind contaminants that are difficult to detect or remove. If the mass of the oil stays in the water, these contaminants cling to the oil

But there are fewer contaminants in the water than before it went through the skimming process....
 
Removing oil leaves behind contaminants that are difficult to detect or remove. If the mass of the oil stays in the water, these contaminants cling to the oil

There are already some 500 skimmers working in the Gulf. This one is massive in comparison and can do more work than all of them combined... so, why not put it to work... it isn't American, or something? Afraid the Taiwanese can do something better than the Americans can?!?!?
 
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