A supertanker adapted to scoop up oil from the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico began tests on Saturday amid a report that some major investors expect the energy giant to replace its top executives. The vessel named "A Whale" and dubbed a "super skimmer" is operating just north of the blown out well as part of a two-day test watched by the U.S. Coastguard, said Bob Grantham, spokesman for TMT Shipping Offshore, which owns the ship. If all goes to plan TMT hopes to sign a clean-up contract for the ship, which can remove up to 500,000 barrels (21 million gallons) of oil and water mix from the sea surface a day, according to crew members.
A supertanker adapted to scoop up oil from the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico began tests on Saturday amid a report that some major investors expect the energy giant to replace its top executives.
The vessel named "A Whale" and dubbed a "super skimmer" is operating just north of the blown out well as part of a two-day test watched by the U.S. Coastguard, said Bob Grantham, spokesman for TMT Shipping Offshore, which owns the ship.
If all goes to plan TMT hopes to sign a clean-up contract for the ship, which can remove up to 500,000 barrels (21 million gallons) of oil and water mix from the sea surface a day, according to crew members.
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Efforts by BP to contain the damage returned to normal after a hurricane and the British company said its oil-capture systems at its leaking well collected or burned off 25,290 barrels of oil during operations on Friday.
The storm passed through the spill area off the coast of Louisiana without doing major damage.
But the corporate fall-out from the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history appeared far from over.
The Financial Times newspaper reported BP investors expected to see a change in the company's leadership, possibly once the leak is capped, with both Chief Executive Tony Hayward and Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg in jeopardy.
"When this is over there will be a full investigation, and we would expect some action to replace the top team," the British newspaper quoted a top 10 UK shareholder as saying in its Saturday edition.
Without steps to steady the ship, BP could become a takeover target of companies like ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell or PetroChina, the FT said, citing a source working on BP's strategy.
Photo shows the "A Whale" skimmer, billed as the world's largest oil skimming vessel, anchored on the Mississippi River in Boothville, LA July 1,
2010.
Credit: REUTERS/Sean Gardner
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