In Scarborough, Tobago, first responders and authorities have been unable to plug an oil leak from a capsized barge that was first spotted nine days ago by Trinidad and Tobago’s Coast Guard. The spill has spread miles from Tobago’s shore, affecting nations across the Caribbean Sea including Venezuela and Grenada.
The cause of the spill was stated by Trinidad’s government as a barge being pulled by a tugboat, but the incident’s details, such as the type of petroleum leaking, the ship’s intended destination, owner, and crew losses, remain unclear. “This looks like it will continue for a few weeks. I cannot simply sit down and do nothing,” said Edwin Ramkisson, a fisherman on Tobago’s Atlantic shore.
The slick has reached about 144 kilometers (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea and is moving at a rate of 14 km per hour, according to Tobago’s Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. The twin-island nation’s government said the ship’s origin was Panama and it was bound for Guyana. Monitoring service TankerTrackers.com, however, reported that the barge-tugboat was seen near Venezuela’s Puerto La Cruz refinery in late January and was headed to St. Vincent and Grenadines days before the spill.
Venezuela’s oil minister Pedro Tellechea denied any involvement in the vessel and informed that Trinidad’s investigation will include the oil’s type. Grenada did not provide any comment.
Augustine believes the barge carried up to 35,000 barrels of fuel oil. The spill has damaged Tobago’s beaches, impacting wildlife and tourism, and posing a risk to the Scarborough cruise ship port. Several beach and golf resorts in Tobago frequented by foreign tourists have been forced to close access to the ocean.
About 2,000 barrels of oil have been collected so far, according to the head of Tobago’s Emergency Management Agency Allan Stewart, who also stated that the island lacks protective equipment for volunteers and crews. (Reporting by Curtis Williams in Scarborough and Tibisay Romero in Yagua, Venezuela; Writing by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Kirsten Donovan)
