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Updated at 2:18 p.m. ET: Lisa Novak, a civilian employee of the Coast Guard, returned our call to clarify that the one ton of "tarball material" was not, in fact, "found" as the first version of this post's headline said. Instead, it is an aggregation of material collected from the Gulf of Mexico by Vessels of Opportunity, private boats contracted by BP to assist in the cleanup effort. A press release from the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command, "Innovation Improves Tar Ball Removal Capability," describes the process:
"The crew of one of the thousands of Vessels of Opportunity (VOO) working in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill recently recovered approximately two tons of tarball material in the Gulf of Mexico.
The recovery was the result of the kind of creative thought and innovation at work among the more than 27,000 people working around the clock in the Gulf of Mexico in the largest oil spill response in U.S. history.
Designed by Gerry Matherne, a BP contractor and nearshore task force leader, the idea is simple. A shrimp boat with outriggers on each side drags mesh oil-collection bags made of perforated webbing near the ocean surface. As the boat trawls to collect oil patches, the bags, attached to an aluminum frame, collect oil. When filled, the bags are disconnected from the frame by crew on support vessels, and then towed to a lift barge for hoisting into a collection barge."
Updated at 1:01 p.m. ET: While we have calls out to the Coast Guard, there is still some uncertainty about exactly how this was recovered. It appears it might have been "collected" by the Sailfish rather than "found," given information about the Vessel of Opportunity program on the Web. Again, we'll update you here as we learn more.
Original post: The caption doesn't directly say this tarball consists of oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, so we have called and emailed the Coast Guard to see what else they can tell us. They have promised to update us. When they do, we'll update you here.
Leave a Comment:
holy.....speachless!
Was it's name Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How can you say Obama!! He's the president, not an oil man. How do you say BP!!!
Real intelligent Snuffy. Your children must be proud.
That comment about Obama was not only as dumb as a box of rocks but was also racist.
it s not Obama [who is the best president you can have for the time being] ,
it s not BP
but maybe the [low educated] US citizen staff onboard the drilling rig + Cameron [US manufactuer] of the BOP valve which didn t work properly [bad technical engineer]....
Every body is guilty refueling his car for unusefull ride, and buying stupid goods "over packaged"and it happened so many time in other countries with US oil companies....
The caption of the photo does not explain that they did not capture One giant tarball, but that it is the result of skimming in nets.
The nets collect all heavy oil and loose floating oil, this then results in one giant tarball.
See: http://blogs.chron.com/newswatchenergy/archives/2010/06/creativity_help_1.html
Quote:
Creativity helps in Gulf cleanup
About 2 tons of tarball material in the Gulf of Mexico was recovered using a creative new method, the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command center said yesterday in a release.
A BP contractor, Gerry Matherne, designed a simple collection system using a shrimp boat with outriggers attached on either side that drags mesh bags made of perforated webbing along the ocean surface.
I am sure this is only the start, of much more horrible photos, but glad your informing us. Go Rachel! Love you.
It looks like a raft or something being used to catch the oil that has a thick coat of oil on it, not a tar ball. If you look you can see orange showing through in several different spots.
Last week there was a special on the depression years and things that our govt. did to fuel the economy and employment. Does that sound like a similar situation to today? Since oil skimming/collection is such a low-tech, labor intensive process, why not mobilize a CCC like organization of unemployed people to have a massive cleanup--and have BP foot the bill. It is only right to do this--before the Gulf environment is destroyed--something that we can't let happen. JG
Jeez, MSNBC! Check your facts before you publish a picture with such a misleading caption.
I'm sure its not from BP... it would make more sense that there was a huge sea monster in the gulf that spits 1 ton tarballs at its enemies. Hello? Of course its from BP's mess. Has anyone ever thought that if this was an American company that did this off the coast of another country we would be considered the devil? (more than we already are of course).
Tony Hayward should be forced to stare at that picture for a solid hour before bed every night until the mess is cleaned up and all of the ecological effects have abated. He won't live that long . . .
It looks like. It smells like. Something from Congress and the Senate. Just asking....
It looks more like yo-momy!
If this works to remove the oil.... why not use it. Every bit that we remove has to be a good thing. we pay for scrap metal by the pound why not for this kind of "scrap" oil?. is there a way to recyle it?. and to say it might not be from the BP leak ?????????? what's with that? how many other leaks are there in the gulf?
There is no one ho can stop this horrific situation against humanity our president have to ask the UK to respond we are in from of disaster and the hurricane time is in front of us our resources are in our coast PLEASE SOME ONE DO SOMETHING.FROM FLORIDA I AM WATING AND I HAD FEITH.THANK YOU. A CUBAN- AMERICAN
Is it's name Obama??? Why yes, as a matter of fact it is! It lies around doing nothing about the spill, doesn't say anything that makes any sense, it's not white and it's from an unknown birthplace. Yep, sounds like an apt name to me!
WTF, man? Try leaving an actual comment next time. (And no, I'm not a fan of Obama's either, but I know a troll when I see one.)
OMG - man, are you kidding??? This is a comment? Really? And how is this Obama's fault and not BP's?
Dirk, onewonan - You're right. We've updated the post above to clarify. Thank you for the help.
Cool, thanks for the follow-up!! ;-)
Maybe they could drop this 1 ton of crud on top of the ill-fitting cap that's not working!!!
You ignorant typical Republican piece of racism. How in the world does President Obama's ethnicity have anything to do with the spill? You want to discuss white people and disasters??? ~ George W. Bush, a White Anglo Saxon Republican American told blatant lies and attacked an innocent people to steal oil! His trusted co-hort - Cheney of Haliburton fame, another White Anglo Saxon Reuplican American caused the financial collapse of these United States of America. The oil spill you place at Obama's feet, while questioning his birth rightfully belongs to the Republican Anglo Saxon White Party. You are responsible. Not Obama.
Why is it you "Christian White Republicans" always play the race card regardless of topic? You with the history of baby rape, mass murder, and genocide spew the ugliest things at every opportunity? Historically the taint you are speaks volumns. You must be from Texas, the state wanting to rewrite history to lies covering your despicable history with fairy tales of goodness.
Not all Texans are like that. I'm not!! I grew up in Texas and voted against Bush. He has done volumes to this country, yet President Obama is still getting blamed for a lot of it. The economy plus beaucoups of other things. Anyway, I agree with your statement, whole heartedly.
How can you say this is President Obama's fault. He's the President, not an oil man. How do you know he sits around doing nothing? I think he's doing all that can be done. How do you say BP. Put the blame where it belongs, not where you want it to go.
Its really a whoppie pie
To Kward4581 and anyone else that thinks we (USA) have not been involved in the pollution/deaths of innocent people in other countries should check out:
UNION CARBIDE: DISASTER AT BHOPAL
Well thank God they've got that mess all cleaned up. And they said the spill would be a disaster.
Well thank God they've got that mess all cleaned up. And they said the spill would be a disaster.
With no objects in the picture that can give a sense of scale, it's not easy to tell - but, it's hard to believe that the tar material shown in that picture weighs a ton (2000 lbs)...
Great going Snuffy Smith. You're not only dumber than a box of rocks but also a racist. America doesn't need people like you. Now you have had your time in the limelight - enjoy it.
The horrible truth ~ no one is paying attention to the Deep Mining structure named Atlantis! It is deeper than Blackwater, run by the same company with the same shoddy equipment and lack of safety procedures. Nothing is being done to cease drilling to ensure the problem isn't compounded by another "accident".
That region is dependant on the oil barons for their livelihoods and won't tolerate pulling the plug to make the Coastline safe from harm. They'd rather not find alternatives ~ which are obviously needed.
Already news media has been called off, just look at the MSNBC and CNN front pages. All it took was for the Prime Minister of Britain to spew his bile to ensure England gets paid and the White House stopped coverage! What will you do when next month the price of gas and everything else goes sky high because Oil Barons foist the costs of recovery upon the backs of America?
How will justification be presented to a besieged America as Cheney, Bush, the Republican party, and British Petroleum grind us under their heels to ensure they do not pay for this? What lie will be told us? The Taliban was easy to blame.
Given the gravity and wide spread effects of this disaster a new definition of Terrorist should be given. The Taliban and all it's minion have not done a quarter as much damage as BP and the Republican Party to this Nation. The Republicans outsourced all our manufacturing jobs ensuring the Chinese economy improved. The Republicans outsources all tech jobs to ensure the Indian economy improved. The Republican party with it's purposeful Partisan block of all paths forward for the American people. The Republican Party and it's blatant divisiveness forcing America into a racial show-down. The disrespecful Republican Party unaffected by the financial catastrophy of Wall Street thief of pensions, and the American Middle-class.
http://www.nitpickins.com click on the image - remember: Multiple states, from Texas to and including Florida devastated - industries destroyed, lives surrendered to greed, wild-life will never recover. 9/11 - New York City. British Petroleum: Texas, Louisana, Alabama, Florida, Mexico, Yucatan, etc.
The economic attack on America by the Republican Party in cahoots with BP (the Bush White House granted the exceptions to BP / Cheny is Haliburton) outdistances anything Osama bin Ladin and the Taliban could ever have hoped to accomplish. They are probably thanking Allah for the Republican and BP - perfect tools of mass distruction.
British Petroleum + Republican Party = Tools of Mass Destruction !!!
Please get help from a trained professional or perhaps you should get a job outside of the White House. You could be in serious trouble with your approach to life.
Oh My gosh,
When you complain about Obama doing nothing to bring the price of gas down, and rag at the White House and blame President Obama for the out of control prices (everyone is going to pass the price increase onto the consumers - you and me and everyone purchasing or driving anything) come September after the Oil Companies explain how the "spill" caused a loss, etc. . . I'll be here to remind you of your Partisan Support of the Weapons of Mass Destruction = Bush / Cheney / BP
Mr. (or Mrs.) Bean
I don't expect the white house to do anything about oil & gas prices. I would prefer they not mess with the markets like they and you seem to think they should. If the oil companies raise prices, the natural thing will happen. People will buy less and then there will be an overproduction causing excess product on the market and the price will decline until people buy more again. We have seen this cycle happen in the past few years several times.
When the press said that Gerald Ford was going to be a president who would not get anything done, I rejoiced because this country is better off with less (not more) meddling by politicians.
I would recommend you find a hobby besides reading slanted news reports----please.
God help us all.
Especially the haters like Snuffy.
LD calls a spade a spade. We will be recovering from the "reign" of the bush/GOP administration AND from this oil debacle for DECADES - but let's not shy away from identifying the real cause of the issue. The GOP deregulation of the oil industry - bush being the deregulation's biggest pusher/supporter. He lined the pockets of his oil industry buddies at the cost of the entire gulf region.
Good work george - I pray God forgives you. The American People should not.
Just one more mess you've left the Obama admin to clean up.
Actually, recent tallies of oil industry regulations have shown that while Bush was around there was more regulation added to the industry than any previous administration.
Robert, you may be forgiven but you have a ways to go to before you can say you've helped your fellow mankind.
I guess I find this issue amazing. As greedy as the world is you'd think this company (and others) would not only design a method of collection but also recovery - unless of course, there's so much that this spill is insignificant?
Before this drilling operation went into production did anyone care about the consequences of an accident? takes place - one that costs thousands of American lives overnight? Anyone care... What is plan B???