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Analysis: BP clean-up leaves U.S. vulnerable to another spill

(Reuters) - The Obama administration may succeed in pushing through its offshore drilling ban, despite fierce resistance from the oil industry, since a piece of machinery in short supply has left oil companies and the environment glaringly vulnerable to another oil spill.

The offshore skimming devices -- seagoing vessels that suck up spilled crude -- are the first line of defense in the contingency plans that big oil companies are required to submit when they drill in the deep waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico

But the vast majority of skimming capacity listed in "worst case scenario" plans to combat major Gulf spills is already deployed to clean up BP's leak, according to copies of the plans made public by Congress and lists of vessels active in the cleanup that were obtained by Reuters.

With few skimmers in reserve, any new spill could be harder to fight, including one caused by a hurricane during the Atlantic storm season that forecasters say could be one of the most intense on record.

That may give U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar the justification he needs to quickly issue a new deepwater drilling ban after a district court struck a first one down.

"We are working hard to issue a new moratorium in the coming days," Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said, without offering further details.