[Wonder Warthog]

"It’s quite different to skim crude off the surface than to deal with benzene, toluene, etc., along with suspended oil under the surface."

Look, the magnitude of toxicity is directly correlated to concentration. The more spread out (horizontally or vertically) the less toxic the spill is. The fraction that they can "skim" is tiny compared to the total emitted (and always has been in EVERY spill to date). The thing the eliminates oil spills isn't capturing the oil, it is good old nature cleaning herself up by the natural process that have been working for literally millions of years.

[D-fendr]

The thing the eliminates oil spills isn't capturing the oil, it is good old nature cleaning herself up by the natural process

Natural processes are at a much greater disadvantage when the oil remains at all depths - and in large concentrations. Which is the case here.