(Trinidad Guardian) While the owners of the barge and tug that caused the oil spill in Tobago haven’t been located just yet, Government has been contacted by a Nigerian lawyer representing the purported owners. This was revealed by Minister of Energy Stuart Young in the Lower House yesterday. However, the minister said there is “reasonable suspicion” related to this particular claim.
He said there are also plans ahead to remove the barge from its location on a reef.
Young gave the latest update on the situation following Naparima MP MP Rodney Charles’ query on who is responsible for the oil spill off Tobago’s coast which occurred in February.
Young said the oil spill’s impact on Tobago’s Atlantic shoreline and on the marine environment was caused by the non-propelled tank barge strongly suspected to be the “Gulfstream”.
He added, “The barge was classed with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) until 31 December 2018 but after that date no further registration details were available. It also appeared the vessel hadn’t been reclassed or registered for a number of years.”
On the tug involved identified as the Solo Creed, he added, “The T&T Coast Guard has been working in close collaboration with Guyana’s Coast Guard, Caricom’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security
(IMPACS) to assist in identifying the tug’s owner. Additionally, the Director of the Maritime Services Division (MSD) has been using division resources and relationships, including, but not limited to reaching out to various similar divisions in Caricom, Panama and Africa as well as IR Consilium to identify the vessel(s) and any owners.”
“In this regard, official correspondence was dispatched to Panama and Tanzania seeking any relevant information regarding the vessels. The Works Ministry’s Maritime Services Division (MSD) was also contacted by a Nigerian lawyer representing the purported owner of the tug and barge. MSD are currently scrutinizing the validity of the claims having initiated inquiries to the Nigerian government. However, at this time, there is reasonable suspicion related to this particular claim and correspondence,” Young explained.
“Despite great efforts, to date, all of these searches have failed to locate the tug which hasn’t re-activated its Automatic Identification System since the date of the incident- seemingly having fled the scene – nor led to the discovery of any definitive information regarding the ownership of the barge at the time of the incident,” the minister added.
The Maritime Services Division wrote the International Marine Organization (IMO) for provision of a consultant to assist with the investigation. The IMO is actively in the process of identifying one.
Young said Government intends to take legal action against the owner or owners. But he said when T&T recently made submissions to the International Oil and Pollution Compensation Fund, it became apparent there is a global network of rogue vessels attempting to operate under the law and international obligations similar to how the tug and barge and its owner or owners operated.
Barge being removed
Young stressed the IPOC will pay all reasonable claims that will be made.
“They immediately instructed the director to start paying us for the claims we’re making so ultimately taxpayers won’t pay any reasonable costs incurred by Government. There are other claims that will be made in addition to those,” he said.
He added two sets of costs have been incurred. One, under Government’s Energy Ministry, using service providers Heritage Petroleum Company may have procured as well as T&T Salvage and others working on the vessel. The second cost is incurred by the Tobago House of Assembly which will be presented to Government. That will be examined by the Ministries of Finance and Energy.
Government has told the IPOC that (THA’s costs) would be forthcoming, “Hence the raising of T&T’s estimates. Currently at the end of April the cost incurred by Government was estimated to be about (US) $12 million but we expect that to continue. Salvage operations continue and there’s still some clean-up operations to be done,” he added.
Young said there are plans to remove the barge.
“Right now they’re draining the remaining hydrocarbons from the barge. After that, the next phase will be for the salvage and removal of this vessel from the reef.”
