NORFOLK (AP) -- A ship billed as the world's largest oil-skimming vessel is making a Virginia port-of-call before heading to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The oil-gulping ship "A Whale" arrived at Norfolk International Terminal on Thursday and is scheduled to sail to the Gulf later Friday.
Owners of the 1,100-foot Liberian-flagged ship say they haven't received government approvals to participate in the cleanup. But they're hopeful that can be achieved during the three-day sail to the Gulf.
The Asia-based TMT Group said its ship has the capacity to draw as much as 500,000 barrels of oily water over eight to 10 hours -- many times the skimming capacity of fishing boats now working the Gulf's oil waters.
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