BP turns to 'A Whale' to speed up Deepwater oil disaster response efforts

Embattled British energy giant BP Plc (LON.BP) has turned to the world's largest oil skimmer called 'A Whale' to help accelerate its Deepwater oil spill clean-up efforts.

BP has been roiled by huge costs and its brand image has taken a severe beating ever since Deepwater Horizon, an oil rig majority-owned by BP exploded on April 20, killing 11 people, and triggered the largest offshore oil spill in the US history, surpassing that of the iconic Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989.

To date, the leaking oil well has spewed over 130 million of gallons of oil into the Gulf and oil has been washing up from Louisiana to Florida, hitting tourism and fishing industry in the states lining the Gulf Coast.

BP said around 45,000 people, 6500 vessels and around 120 aircraft have been pressed into service to help with the recovery efforts. However, it's unlikely that the leaking oil well can be contained before August when recovery crews finish two relief wells that are the best chance of stopping the flow of oil. Currently, BP is forging ahead with its efforts of capturing or burning off oil as it gushes from the leaking well to a tanker ship through a pipe called a riser. Efforts are also being made to connect the riser to a containment vessel named the Helix Producer, which could double the amount of oil being collected to up to 53,000 barrels a day.