Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley visited areas affected by a recent oil spill this Sunday, even as the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said it is deploying barriers to contain the damage.
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Although Trinidad and Tobago celebrated this weekend its carnival, considered one of the most important in the Caribbean, canceled the children’s event due to an oil spill in the southwestern Caribbean country, where among the damaged areas are some virgin beaches.
Meanwhile, the spill has not been contained after members of the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard installed barriers around the leaking ship yesterday afternoon.
The environmental emergency management agency found damage to the reef and some beaches. The event is currently at Level 2 (Orange), but authorities suggest Level 3, the highest in what requires national assistance.
Authorities said in a statement that the boat that produced the spill broke down two days ago off the coast of the Cove ecoindustrial estate and no one reported the incident. Oil has quickly spread to the island’s main beaches.
For his part, the president of the Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Curtis Williams believes the local Coast Guard should have been able to respond more quickly to the oil spill that has severely affected the coasts of several coastal villages and poses a threat to the island’s economy.
Around 07h20 hours on 7 February, a 300-foot-long vessel, the Gulfstream, was found overturned and leaking an oil-like substance about 200 metres off the coast of Cove Eco Industrial Park.
A massive clean-up exercise, involving various groups and agencies, has since begun in an attempt to contain and eradicate the spill.Williams said members of the chamber were concerned about the extent of the spill, but regretted that "Tobago was not in a position of readiness in terms of the Coast Guard, as the national organization could help at any time".