Spain, the Netherlands and the European Union have offered equipment to help the United States clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the European Commission said Friday.
US authorities have been struggling for weeks to repair the damage provoked by a ruptured well from an off-shore BP platform, which the company is trying to close with the so-called "top kill" operation, DPA reported.
The EU's executive said that following a request received Thursday from the US Coast Guard, "three complete sets of rigid sweeping arms" - a specific type of skimmers that can be attached to a ship to recover oil - are expected to be lent to the United States for up to three months.
"We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our American friends as they work to deal with this environmental disaster," said the EU's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva.
The commission said it is ready to ship the aid to Houston and/or New Orleans. The transport, handling and maintenance costs are to be borne out by a US contracted company, it specified.