Navy to Help with Oil Spill Clean-up

Posted: Apr 29, 2010 12:47 PM by Letitia Walker

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Navy is sending equipment to help clean up

the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Navy bases are being used

as staging areas for the operation.

And that's just probably the beginning of a larger Pentagon

effort to deal with the environmental disaster.

Navy spokesman Lt. Myers Vasquez said Thursday that 66,000 feet

of inflatable boom and seven skimming systems are on their way to

the Navy base in Gulfport, Miss. The help is being provided under

an existing pollution cleanup agreement between the Navy and Coast

Guard.

The Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida will be used as a

staging area for equipment used by Coast Guard contractors.

The White House has asked the Defense Department to be ready for

additional requests.