The government is sending heavy equipment to help clear up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico transport minister Camiel Eurlings announced on Friday.

In total the Netherlands is sending three pairs of rigid sweeping arms which can be attached to ships and collect the oil. Depending on the weather conditions, the booms can clean up up to 350 cubic metres of oil an hour, the ministry statement said.
‘The Dutch offered assistance to the US as soon as the disaster occurred,’ Eurlings said. ‘We have been working closely on water related issues with the Louisiana region since Hurricane Katrina. It seems no more than natural that now again; we stand together with the people of Louisiana.’
The arms were used earlier to help clear up oil spills off the coast of France (Prestige) and Spain (Erica).