Locals vent frustration at BP's program

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama (WALA) - There are some concerns about the Vessels of Opportunity Program, and exactly how it works.

Some people say they have gone through training for the program, but haven't been called to help out with oil clean-up. Some of those people are commercial fishermen, who feel they should be called out before people with recreational boats because the oil has taken away their only means of income .

Even more people are upset that they've seen boats that aren't from this area filled with crews working on clean-up efforts.

"That Sea Tow boat is from New Jersey," said Charter Boat Captain Chip Deupree.

Dupree runs a charter boat out of Dauphin Island. He says he signed up for the Vessels of Opportunity Program two weeks ago, but hasn't heard back from BP.

"Several weeks ago when this program started we were told that it was put together to put out of work fishermen back on the water to make up for their losses, that sounds like a great plan right? But now we can't get anyone from BP to call us back for when that day does come," said Dupree.

Dupree said his business is suffering, and he can't understand why he and other commercial fishermen haven't been called to help.

"Everybody should be given the opportunity to make money. I feel like the people that are legitimately put out of business by this spill should be given first choice in this whole thing and I challenge anybody to tell me I'm wrong," added Dupree.

BP spokesperson Ray Melick said BP's plan from the beginning has been to call on local commercial fishermen first, but he says some people "slipped through the cracks".

"One of the things we've found is that for example someone may be living in Minnesota and his boat is registered in some state but he's got it docked in Bayou La Batre, well then our guys say well you're a local boat then later on they found out he's not, but he happens to be docked here, so there have been cases of slipups and people getting through," said Melick.

Melick said some vessels from other areas may not even be involved with BP's Vessels of Opportunity Program. That's why he said BP is in the process of getting flags to distinguish Vessels of Opportunity from other boats.

"We are getting calls about boats that aren't our VOO vessels, they're a city that's hired its own ships to go do some clean-up and we're getting yelled at about that and that's not our fleet. Now there's no way to tell them apart so that's easily understandable but you know it is important to know there are other entities hiring vessels as well," explained Melick.

Melick said in some cases, large commercial boats cannot be used due to the nature of the job that needs to be done.

"You're not going to call a pontoon boat to go out to deep water, and you're not going to get a shrimp boat to go up in the marshes and if there aren't enough of a specific type of boat that we're in need of for the VOO operation, then you may have to go outside that local area, that port and you have to go out of state, but that's not the priority and has not been," Melick said.

BP said on Tuesday, there were 819 Vessels of Opportunity deployed in Alabama, and 363 in Florida.

Monday, BP reported just under 2,000 vessels deployed across Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. That number fluctuates depending on what is needed on any given day.

Vessels are picked form a pool of everyone who has signed up for the program. There is no guarantee how many times you'll be called, or how long you'll work.

BP is not taking anymore applications to join the Vessels of Opportunity Program.