Tobago oil spill should be additional wake up call for Guyana - AFC

Tobago oil spill should be additional wake up call for Guyana – AFC

Feb 17, 2024 News

Kaieteur News- The Alliance for Change (AFC) said on Friday that it has taken note of the ongoing challenges being experienced in the neighbouring island of Tobago due to the devastating effects of an oil spill.

Regional media reports have thus far indicated that the source of the oil spill is a capsized barge reportedly heading for Guyana. Eight days after Trinidad and Tobago’s coastguard first spotted the oil from an overturned and abandoned barge, the vessel continues to leak fuel, and portions of the stain have moved about 144km (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea at a rate of 14km/h.

“It has now entered Grenada’s territorial waters,” said Tobago’s Chief Secretary, Farley Augustine, following a fly-over by Trinidad and Tobago’s air guard. He told the Guardian, “We are unable to plug the leak and unless we have information on how much fuel is in the barge or what exactly it contains…”

Authorities in Grenada, Panama, Aruba and Guyana have been contacted by Trinidad and CARICOM for information as part of an investigation into the disaster.

Despite the fact Trinidad and Tobago has been an oil producing country for over a century and having had to deal with several major oil spills in the past, the AFC said the country is still struggling to contain this recent oil spill. Taking this into account the opposition party said, “This unfortunate event should be an additional wake up call for Guyana.”

The AFC said currently, Guyana is producing 645,000 barrels of oil per day, representing about three times the daily volume of oil produced by Trinidad and Tobago at its peak, thus resulting in an increased risk. The opposition party said, “It is time that Guyana puts in place a comprehensive oil spill plan backed by provision of adequate resources and equipment, as well as ensure that the operators in all our oil blocks have in place full and unlimited liability coverage.”

Further to this, the AFC said it has taken note of the fact that the Tobago oil spill has now spread to the neighboring countries of Grenada and Venezuela. With this troubling development in mind, the AFC sought to remind that having in place unlimited liability coverage, not only covers the costs associated with the immediate oil cleanup efforts, but will also include the short, medium, and long costs associated with the damage to these countries’ tourism and fishing sectors.

In the meantime, the AFC said it will be monitoring the effects of this oil spill, including the final clean up costs, and other associated claims, adding that this will make for a most suitable comparison for the adequacy of the current US$2B financial coverage in place for the Stabroek Block.

Alliance For Change (AFC), CARICOM, Farley Augustine, obago’s Chief Secretary, Stabroek Block, Tobago oil spill

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Tobago oil spill should be additional wake up call for Guyana – AFC

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Tobago oil spill should be additional wake up call for Guyana – AFC

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