Port of Spain (AFP) – The oil leak from an overturned ship off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago “is not under control,” the Prime Minister of that country, Keith Rowley, reported this Sunday, making official the national emergency caused by a ship whose origin has not been determined. .
First modification: Last modification:
3 min
Rowley declared a “national emergency” for this disaster that has spread along about 15 km of the coast of Tobago, one of the two islands that make up this oil nation of 1.4 million inhabitants.
“Cleaning and restoration can only begin as soon as we have the situation under control, right now the situation is not under control,” Rowley said at a press conference.
Hundreds of volunteers have been working since Thursday to contain the advance of the thick stain that, in addition to hitting the delicate marine ecosystem, generates losses for tourism, a vital income in the country. The governor called for more people to collaborate in these tasks.
The environmental management agency identified damage to the reef and beaches of the Atlantic coast, on the eve of the carnival holiday, crucial for this twin island of Trinidad, which lives on tourism.
Many Tobago resorts and hotels, such as the state-owned Magdalena Grand, were affected.
Due to the spread of hydrocarbon, authorities have asked tourists not to enter contaminated areas, as this carries a risk of injury from exposure to oil.
Containment barriers were extended about 15 kilometers to allow vessels to arrive at the port of Scarborough, the capital of Tobago.
Unidentified ship
The origin of the ship “Gulfstream”, with an unidentified flag and whose crew did not make emergency calls, nor was it found, remains an enigma.
“We have not yet been able to identify the vessel by name, there could be some identifying features (…) even with the use of remotely operated vehicles we have not been successful in identifying a registration number,” he noted. for his part the chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Farley Augustine, who accompanied Rowley at the press conference.
Augustine also said that divers were unable to cover the leak from the ship, which is about 100 meters long.
The Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) reported that there were no signs of life on the Gulfstream, whose cargo was initially believed to consist of sand and wood. The boat, which capsized off the coast of the Cove Eco-Industrial Park in southern Tobago, was being swept ashore by currents.
The state-owned Heritage Petroleum has also provided assistance and volunteers in beach cleanups, Augustine added.
“We don't know who owns that ship. We have no idea where it came from and we don't know everything it contains,” said Rowley, who did not rule out that the ship has been used in “illicit” operations.
“We are not sure if it is a cargo ship, a tanker or a barge because only the keel of the ship is visible and its identifying physical features are in the water, where we cannot penetrate at the moment,” the prime minister added.
#Spill #generated #mysterious #ship #Trinidad #Tobago #control
