‘Tobago oil spill a stark reminder there is no safe way to produce or transport oil’

Feb 18, 2024 News

– Int’l Lawyer, Melinda Janki

Kaieteur News – In the wake of the oil spill that has adversely affected the island of Tobago and is now encroaching on Grenada and Venezuela, International Lawyer Melinda Janki noted the incident as a dire warning about the hazards of oil production and transportation.

International Lawyer Melinda Janki

According to Janki, this incident is a “stark reminder that there is no safe way to produce or transport oil.” She believes that the oil industry underplays the risks associated with oil spills, which can have devastating consequences on the environment, economy, and marine life. The environmental activist recalled the Exxon Valdez disaster that wreaked havoc on the Alaskan shoreline in 1989, with spillage of 11 million gallons of crude.

The Tobago oil spill involves two vessels, a tug and a barge, confirmed by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, both of which were bound for Guyana but never arrived. The spill has caused environmental concerns and impacted Tobago’s southern beaches and coastline. Trinidad’s Prime Minister Keith Rowley has declared a national emergency, with significant restoration efforts pending containment of the leak. Janki in an invited comment said, “People must learn the lesson that the oil industry is focused on profit and does not care about the damage that it inflicts on the environment or the economy of host countries and their neighbours, unless caught and forced to pay.”

She pointed out that Guyana is inadequate in its capacity to mobilize resources to clean up an oil spill. Citing the BP Macondo spill, Janki said it “took 45,000 people and thousands of watercraft. And yet, in the BP Macondo clean up around 75% of the oil was left in the Gulf waters.”

Janki noted that Exxon’s oil spill response plan promises to call the Coast Guard, the harbour master, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Maritime Administration Department and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) if there is a spill. But she questioned what those organizations would do without the resources or expertise to deal with a spill.

The lawyer also said that if a spill were to occur, Exxon plans to use dispersants, which she said push oil under water, instead of removing it. “The bulk of the oil disappears from sight because it sinks into the ocean where it does further harm.”

Guyana passed the Petroleum Activities Act into law last year to govern the petroleum sector. Janki believes that it is inadequate, as it is “pro-oil” and not pro-Guyana.

“A key lesson for the whole of Guyana, government and people to learn is the need at the petroleum sector level for strict regulation of oil exploration, production and transportation followed by strict enforcement of the law,” Janki said.

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, discussed the Tobago spill during his press conference last Thursday, arguing that the risk of a spill is not unique to Guyana. Questioned about the potential for a spill like Tobago’s to happen to Guyana, the official said “Any event like that could happen to any country… It could happen in Barbados. It could happen offshore St. Vincent. It could happen offshore of St. Kitts.”

He said that Guyana is open to lending support to Tobago to deal with the spill, according to its capacity. Collaboration between Trinidad’s Ministry of National Security, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, Guyana Coast Guard, CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), and international partners is ongoing in the investigation and response to the spill.

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Crime and Security, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Int’l Lawyer, Melinda Janki, the Coast Guard, the harbour master

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