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Allegiance Capital has worked dilligently with one of our clients to bring skimmer boats to assist the clean up effort in the Gulf

Allegiance Capital Vice President, Fred McCallister, is a native of Mississippi and was interviewed several times regarding the challenges of getting urgently needed equipment through the red tape and deployed.

Allegiance Capital, working with one of our clients who is a contractor to BP, assembled 25 skimmer boats; equipment and housing ships; boom deployment and recovery vessels and large skimming vessels. Click here for photos of the ships.

Below are video clips from various national news programs that asked McCallister to appear.

Bloomberg on Jones Act: McCallister Speaks with Margeret Brennan on Bloomberg Television's "Inbusiness"

Fred McCallister’s Testimony Before Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

OIL SKIMMER RED TAPE: CNN AC360 REPORT BY ANDERSON COOPER JUNE 29, 2010

OIL DISASTER IN THE GULF: FOX NEWS SPECIAL REPORT BY BRIAN WILLIAMS JUNE 11, 2010

DAY 56 OF OIL SPILL CRISIS: CNN’S KYRA PHILLIPS JUNE 14, 2010

Here's the transcript:

PHILLIPS: It's day 56 of the oil disaster in the Gulf, and today marks the beginning of a very busy week. BP is presenting a plan that it says could capture more than 50,000 barrels of oil each day. According to the letter obtained by CNN, the plan could be in place by the end of the month.

At any moment, President Obama begins making his way to the region and this two day trip will take him to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and then tomorrow he returns to the White House for an address to the nation. He'll discuss the growing crisis as the environmental damage spreads and the economic impact.

On Wednesday, the president will hold his first meeting with BP executives we're told. He is ordering the oil giant to set aside millions of dollars for the people and businesses that are suffering financial hardships right now. Meanwhile, the company has installed new sensors on the underwater geyser. Within a few days it could better assess about how much oil is actually gushing into the sea.

Well, every day CNN introduces ways that might purge oil from the Gulf. And there are ideas from scientists, inventors centers and even you, the viewers, BP hasn't tried them yet but maybe they should. Until something works, CNN is demonstrating about five ideas a day.

So what about oil-skimming boats? The Coast Guard says they are definitely key to the cleanup. And a Texas businessman says he can dispatch a dozen of them right now. He's just having a tough time getting the green light.

Fred McCallister of Allegiance Capitol Corporation joining us live from Dallas. So, Fred, tell us what you've got to offer.

FRED MCCALLISTER: Kyra, we have assembled a fleet of specialized vessels, including oil skimming vessels that are designed specifically to put out the boom and to retrieve the boom and also specialized equipment and housing vessels.

Now apparently BP says that it is reviewing your proposal, right? Have you heard from them directly. What if they told you what is the status of that?

MCCALLISTER: That's correct. We have heard from BP over the weekend. As recently as yesterday evening I was in touch with the team leader for vessel procurement. We're told that our vessel proposal is being reviewed. They have to send it through a process internally there, but I'm certain that they will be back in touch with us over the next few days.

PHILLIPS: Describe to us how your vessels would operate. I understand these are different from a number of vessels that are already out there. Tell us what's unique, Fred?

MCCALLISTER: The skimming vessels, in particular, are they are designed specifically for this purpose. You can get skimmers that are put on vessels that are not designed to house them and they are more or less efficient. But these vessels basically motor across the surface of the water. They have wings that spread out, gather the oil off the surface, separate it, and then dispense the water back into the ocean, take the oil that's recovered off for disposal or processing.

PHILLIPS: How fast do you think you can you work and what kind of impact do you think you can make?

MCCALLISTER: Well, these vessels are capable of doing about 3,500 gallons per hour each. So you know, there's a significant impact. Since these proposals were made, there has been about 12 million additional gallons that's been spilled into the Gulf. It's going to take a lot of these types of vessels.

One of the reasons we wanted to make this a public discussion is that these types of vessels are not needed. I don't know if there are enough available certainly in the U.S. and even internationally to address the size of this catastrophe but certainly since these vessels are available, they're being asked for by states like, you know, Florida, the parish presidents, this type of vessel ought to be put to use in the Gulf.

PHILLIPS: You know, there's been a lot of talk lately with regard to the Jones Act of 1920, even Admiral Thad Allen brought it up Friday in his briefing, and it talks about no merchandise will be transported by water between points in the United States and any other vessel than a vessel built in and documented under the laws of the United States and owned by persons who are citizens of the United States. So, basically, this was put into protect the merchant marine by stipulating that only American-owned and flagged ships, primarily American crews could transport goods into the U.S., are any of your vessels coming in from other countries? Or all your vessels in country?

MCCALLISTER: These vessels would be coming in from outside the country. These vessels are - would be Coast Guard inspection, and it's important to note that the Jones Act, which is a 1920 act, has been waived and can be waived for specific purposes.

The Jones Act serves a purpose, but it is also specifically within the act there is a provision that allows for waiver, and it can be, the Jones Act can be waived for specific purposes without destroying the integrity of the act, and I think in this case, that's what should be done.

PHILLIPS: So, are you pushing to have the Jones Act waived, in particular, so you can get these vessels in from overseas?

MCCALLISTER: For specifics purposes, and this would certainly not offend the long-term impact of the Jones Act but it would certainly help in this catastrophe.

PHILLIPS: Got it. Fred McAllister, keep us updated, will you? We want to know what happens with regard to your assets and if indeed they get in here into the United States. Appreciate your time.

MCCALLISTER: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: You bet. BP says that it has received more than 7,500 proposals for products and services through its online site. If you want to help, it's horizonedocs.com. And we're going to keep looking for oil spill solutions all week long so stay tuned to CNN for fix it ideas, clean up possibilities. Share your ideas as well. We are sifting through them all.

Images of types of vessels Allegiance Capital is proposing :

Skimmers

Equipment and housing ship (Ship II)