Giant Oil Skimmer Coming to Gulf - Largest in the World

An incredibly huge oil skimmer from Taiwan, named "A Whale," is headed to the Gulf in hopes it'll be able to be used in the oil cleanup.

The measurements of the vessel are extraordinary, being the equivalent of 3 1/2 lengths of a football field, and is 10 stories high. It is billed as the largest skimmer in the world, and I believe it.

Originally the ship was made to be a tanker, but when the Gulf oil spill happened, the founder and CEO of the company, Nobu Su, had it fitted to be a gigantic skimmer instead.

Estimates are it could remove up to 21 million gallons of oil a day from the soiled waters.

How it works is it employs 12 vents on each side of the bow of the ship, which suck in the water. From there it is separated from the water and sent to another vessel. The water is returned back to the sea.

Unfortunately this is all theory, as it hasn't been tested so far, and will need to prove it can do what it asserts before it is cleared.

Even though there will be trace amounts of oil left in the water after it is filtered, it is far cleaner than when it is brought into the ship. Even so, the EPA will have to give its approval before its use.

Assuming approval is given, then the Taiwanese ship owner will have to negotiate with BP concerning a price for its use. That shouldn't be a problem, as BP has shown willingness to pay for different technologies in order to help with the cleanup, as evidenced by the units ordered from actor Kevin Costner's company.

The ship was expected Wednesday, where the U.S. Coast Guard will then observe it to see how it workds and if it works as expected. The final say on the use of the vessel is in the hands of the Coast Guard.