Latest update July 17th, 2026 1:38 AM
No ruptured gas pipeline but ‘slight anomaly’ EPA, MARAD say after video evidence surfaces
Photo of disruption beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean
(Kaieteur News) Less than 24 hours after Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat flatly denied reports of a pipeline rupture to Demerara Waves, two state regulatory bodies issued a joint statement admitting to a pipeline “anomaly”.
The admission was a complete about-face arguably forced by video evidence publicised by Leader of the Opposition (LOO) Azruddin Mohamed.
On Wednesday night, Bharrat dismissed claims of a structural failure in the ocean, telling Demerara Waves there were “no reports” of a rupture and speculating that routine tests were simply underway. By Thursday, the narrative had shifted: the Minister directed Kaieteur News to a statement issued by the relevant agencies. It should be noted, however, that this project falls under the remit of the Office of the Prime Minister.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) issued a joint statement that traded the Minister’s outright denial for carefully parsed bureaucratic language. While the agencies stated “unequivocally that there is no factual basis” for claims that the pipeline has ruptured, they simultaneously confirmed that a report had been received and investigated — revealing what they termed a “slight anomaly.”
The admission followed allegations from Opposition Leader Mohamed, who posted video and photographic evidence to his Facebook page showing a pocket of water bubbling to the ocean surface directly above the pipeline’s path. Both videos were filmed just feet from the buoys marking the alleged rupture site.
“Imagine you have the evidence where the pipeline is ruptured, you can see the water is bubbling up, you can see 10 feet away where the pipeline is run — nothing is happening there — and yet, they will come out and lie to the country,” Mohamed charged.
He further alleged that the pipeline sits less than 10 feet deep at low tide, placing it directly in a major shipping channel without proper feasibility studies having been conducted. “This is something that will continue to happen over and over,” he warned.
To reconcile admitting to a bubbling ocean surface while denying a “gas leak,” state officials are leaning heavily on the fact that the pipeline is not yet commercially active. Government Consultant Winston Brassington had previously disclosed that the line is currently filled with nitrogen gas — a standard industry practice used to preserve uncommissioned pipelines. ExxonMobil Guyana has likewise noted that nitrogen will occupy the line until it is ready to supply the 300-megawatt power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara.
The joint EPA-MARAD statement sought to reframe the sudden controversy as a routine checkup, noting that ExxonMobil has been conducting a scheduled three-month subsea inspection since May 2026, involving five vessels.
However, the admission that “further inspections are being conducted to confirm the continued integrity of the pipeline” suggests more urgency behind the scenes than the agencies’ have stated. Regulators appealed for calm, urging residents to verify facts through official channels to avoid “unnecessary alarm.”
Meanwhile, ExxonMobil Guyana was unable to offer an official comment by press time but promised to do so when possible.
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- EPA, ExxonMobil, gas, MARAD, pipeline
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