Posted on 07/09/2010 8:26:40 AM PDT by Qbert
PORT FOURCHON, La. -- Kevin Costner added a bit of Hollywood glitz, but it was the bright orange barge full of equipment counted on to scoop oil from the Gulf of Mexico that was the real star Thursday. The Ella G, once an offshore supply barge, has been refitted to skim and separate oil spilling from BP PLC's blown-out well, making for a more efficient way to remove petroleum from the Gulf waters. It set sail for the first time Thursday.
"I know a lot of times you have been down on the ground and stayed down," Costner told workers and visitors who had come to see the latest in the fight against the oil spill. "But the machine I once dreamed of is here to help you."
The ship is now one of BP's "Vessels of Opportunity." It was retrofitted to receive oil and water from the skimmer, separate the oil and place it in storage tanks, and return the cleaned water to the Gulf, said Ed Dufrene, project manager for Edison Chouest Offshore, which supplied the barge and assembled the equipment on it.
The system was built in 10 days, and BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles said it offers many advantages. For instance, it can remove more oil, stay at sea indefinitely and skim in seas up to 10 feet. Most skimming vessels can't work in seas higher than 4 feet.
"It can make a big difference," Suttles said.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.al.com ...
But did Kevin vote Democrat??
Your link does not work...
Nothing at link.
Amazing. All the ideas and services offered denied until now. The seft hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
Betcha it would be a different situation if Palin was running things....
And FR knew about this almost two months ago.
In a related story, it appears he has a DREAM machine that “he” developed to separate oil from water. That’s all great and wonderful but if “he” is really that smart to develop these things why is he still hanging on to his has-been actor status? Funny how all these guys DREAM such delusions of grandeur about themselves. One day Kevin should write a book of his dreams.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/20/gulf-oil-spill-kevin-costner
¨Oily Water World¨
Wonder why that happened. Hope this link works:
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/oil_skimmer_backed_by_kevin_co.html
You do realize that’s the same equipment doing the oil/water separation on this barge, right?
Costner bought a company with oil separation technology about 15 years ago. It was basically a white elephant for his multi-million dollar investment until now, with BP buying a bunch of his separators.
The guy put his money where his mouth is for something useful, and he deserves credit.
I applaud him for his efforts. But one has to wonder if he would have bashed Bush during his speech if he was still President.
It’s a centrifuge. Nothing really complicated. In the interview I saw he said he thought of the idea, started a company, and paid someone else to do the actual development (he did give the guy credit by name, as I remember).
His business venture also seems to have turned him somewhat conservative. His tale of dealing with the government could be boiled down to: “the government people I dealt with were all a bunch of idiots that just go in the way.”
Why rag on the guy? He had an idea, put his own money behind it, created a solid product, and found out along the way that his previous liberal views were wrong. Isn’t that a good thing?
The seft hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
Yes, I agree. The important thing here is that he is helping the cleanup efforts. Regardless of what ever his political beliefs are (I really don’t know) this is not a political issue. Sure, our politicians are trying their best to make it one, but it is a mechanical issue, and he’s doing what he can.
Kudos to him.
And Jimmy Buffett’s going to be there with a concert to fund raise....NOT! He opened a Margaritaville freaking HOTEL on the site of a destroyed condo (by hurricane) and then the oil spill happened. Check Drudge- Buffett blames....BUSH and eight years of bad policy for the OIL SPILL. Nothing about Obambi 70 days of dithering, and of course Buffett is an “a-hole” buddy of FL guv Crist (tan-boy and cabana banana). Disgusting hollywood responds and obambi is found... present.
Should clarify, the concert is to fund raise for the “Gulf” but of course he has hotel rooms to sell at the grand opening this week. His statement is really quite amazing and doesn’t speak to ANY of his music fans.... except the drug laundering real estate speculator crowd. Hey, Jimmy... those are UNION jobs being stopped by the drilling moratorium, and it was UNIONs that obambi is beholden to, preventing the lifting of the Jones Act and getting skimmers there sooner that this WEEK!!! For crying out loud! The idiocy and greed of the Left. Has been drunk, cokehead and greedy parrotheads should just shut up and sing. But then he made millions from the deception he must maintain. That’s a hotel lot’s of people will not be going to. And, this happens with the media shutdown in the Gulf to cover the incompetence of obambi. You know, Bush did it— sure.
Ok, I’ve give him a little credit so long as he’s learned something.
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