Calm weather heartens crews

May 5, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala.

The winds and waves eased in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, an encouraging development for crews trying clean up a massive oil spill, yet an official with BP PLC said more than 20 boats were looking into an unconfirmed report of oil coming ashore in Louisiana.

A Coast Guard official said forecasts showed the oil wasn’t expected to come ashore for at least three more days and that the calm weather was allowing cleanup crews to put out more containment equipment and repair some of the booms that were damaged in the rough weather. They also hope to again try to burn some of the oil on the water’s surface.

BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said boats were dispatched to Chandeleur Island to look for the oil coming ashore but so far haven’t been able to find it.

So far only sheens have reached some coastal waters. The oil has lingered in the gulf for two weeks, despite an uncapped sea-floor gusher.

The slow movement has given crews time to lay boom in front of shorelines, an effort stymied by choppy seas over the weekend.