Local Company Could Have Solution to Oil Cleanup
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For the past two weeks, we've heard a variety of solutions for mopping up oil in the Gulf. Everything from hair, to prayer, to that four story dome now hovering above the leak. But a local company says they have the answer, and they've had it waiting for 20 years.
Although it's design and engineering were approved two decades ago, the environmental battleship "Sea Clean" is still just a four foot prototype on the grounds of New Iberia's Schellstede and Associates, Inc.
"It was received very well as far as the concept, however no one would invest the $100-million that it would take to provide that vessel at that time," said Herman Schellstede, President of New Iberia's Schellstede and Associates, Inc.
The price tag has since doubled, but Schellstede says the intent remains the same. Once built, he says "Sea Clean" would be capable of getting to any spill within 18 hours. Giant booms would then fan out to surround the oil spill, then pump the oil onto the vessel, where an onboard recycling facility can process up to 38,000 gallons per minute.
Some have called the prototype the most efficient vessel ever proposed as a solution for deep water blowouts. Schellstede says it's an insurance policy the oil industry ignored once, and can't afford to do so once again.
"I really do believe it's time to try and revisit the Sea Clean."
Jim Hummel
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