(Trinidad Express) Tobago’s serene waters were yesterday marred after an overturned vessel off its south-western coast near Canoe Bay saw an ‘extensive’ oil spill polluting the area, in some cases reaching the coastline.
Authorities have not yet been able to determine the vessel’s owners, nor the country from which it came, or if its capsizing resulted in the deaths of anyone on board. But by nightfall yesterday, the Tobago House of Assembly said that numerous stakeholders were on the ground, attempting clean ups and investigating further.
A release from the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) yesterday stated that the Agency has received reports of the overturned vessel off the coast of the Cove Eco Industrial and Business Park Tobago on Wednesday morning. However, its North Post Radio did not receive any distress calls from the vessel.
The Coast Guard, it said, was investigating the incident.
In a news conference held last evening, THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said that it had not been determined whether there were bodies still trapped in the vessel. While awaiting PADI certified divers from Trinidad, he said a team of divers from Tobago were tasked with determining if there were bodies on board, if anything of importance or significance had also been trapped and the vessel’s name.
“In discovering the name of the vessel, we will be able to identify who is the owner and to which jurisdiction the vessel is licensed. Then we can appropriate blame or whatever other communication is necessary to the owners or the jurisdiction to which the vessel is assigned,” he said.
“The spill is extensive and can’t give an exact measurement for the width or the span of he cale at the moment, but this update is that you are aware we are working on it,” he said.
Augustine said that the island was being helped by numerous stakeholders, with equipment and service providers stationed along the shoreline.
TEMA’s release stated that it was in collaboration with the Environmental Management Authority (ΕΜΑ) and had conducted a Preliminary Assessment along the coastline. Collection of samples for fingerprinting of the oil which reached the shoreline, has been done, it said.
These samples, it said, will be sent to the Institute of Marine Affairs to determine the origin of the oil.
TEMA said it is also coordinating efforts with key stakeholders, including the Environmental Management Authority, Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the Department of the Environment, Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries, the Ministry of Energy and Woodside Energy to contain the environmental impact of the spill.
“The collective goal is to effectively contain the discharge of oil in the affected area and initiate cleanup procedures, ensuring the safety of the surrounding communities. Additionally, TEMA has received information of suspected oil deposits off the coast of Roxborough and Belle Garden. Samples will be collected to determine the source of the deposits,” it said.
The Agency advised fisherfolk and beach goers to stay clear of the area extending from Rockly Bay to Canoe Bay.