After a second round of testing, the converted O/B/O skimmer A Whale has been judged a failure in skimming oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Giant oil skimmer ‘A Whale’ deemed a bust for Gulf of Mexico spill

The massive “A Whale” oil skimmer has effectively been beached after it proved inefficient in sucking up oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill.

The oil is too dispersed to take advantage of the converted Taiwanese supertanker’s enormous capacity, said Bob Grantham, a spokesman for shipowner TMT.

He said BP’s use of chemical dispersants prevented A Whale, billed as the world’s largest skimmer, from collecting a “significant amount” of oil during a week of testing that ended Friday.