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A converted tanker billed as the world's
largest oil skimmer is being tested in the Gulf of Mexico, where
officials hope it will scrub millions of gallons of oil-tainted
seawater.
      

Frank Maisano, spokesman for the Taiwanese shipping firm that
owns the vessel, dubbed "A Whale," confirmed Saturday that tests
have begun.


      The Coast Guard says testing will take 48 hours.


      Officials want to verify the ship can make good on its promise
of sucking up as much as 21 million gallons of oil-fouled water per
day.


      The shipping firm TMT Group retrofitted the oil tanker after the
April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon that killed 11 workers
and began what is now the largest oil spill in the Gulf's history.

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A converted tanker billed as the world's
largest oil skimmer is being tested in the Gulf of Mexico, where
officials hope it will scrub millions of gallons of oil-tainted
seawater.

Giant oil skimmer being tested in Gulf of Mexico

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