The Deepwater Horizon spill has caused a cessation of training operations at the Mr Charlie training rig moored in Morgan City, Louisiana.

According to the Associated Press, training operations at the rig have been suspended entirely as the centre takes on an ad hoc role as a clearinghouse for workers looking for oil spill response jobs.

Speaking to the news agency, Virgil Allen, a safety specialist who manages Mr Charlie, owned by the International Petroleum Museum and Exposition in Morgan City, said that one more training class was scheduled this week, but the rig's long-term role is now under question.

"The moratorium is stopping all the regular training," he said, referring to the six-month ban on offshore activities imposed in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Following the explosion onboard the rig on April 20th, president Barack Obama has come under increasing pressure call BP to account for the disaster, which took 11 lives and caused the largest spill in US history.

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