Clean-up efforts focused on containment

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is focused on containing an oil spill in Tobago. Head of the island, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine in a statement on his Facebook page about 1 a.m. on Friday 9th February, noted that crews have been assisting with cleanup efforts since Thursday morning. 

This clean-up effort is a result of the leakage of an oil-like substance from an overturned vessel, discovered by Lambeau fishermen on Wednesday morning. Augustine stated, “We are focused on containment at this time. We are ensuring that important assets are protected by deploying booms.”

He continued that Thursday’s clean-up crew, which consisted of the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA); Kaizen International; the All Tobago Fisherfolk Association (ATFA); Frontier Divers, and the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT), cordoned off the Port of Scarborough, to ensure the harbor remained free from the oil-like substance. “The main area for containment will be around the overturned vessel itself, notwithstanding its precarious positioning and the choppy waters in that area.”  The Chief Secretary confirmed that samples of the substance were sent to Trinidad for testing to know for certain what it is, however, he believes it is diesel.

Throughout yesterday’s clean-up and containment exercises, the THA also partnered with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA); the Environmental Management Agency (EMA); Maritime; the Ministry of Works and Transport; the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries; the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard. 

A statement issued by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) on Thursday, confirmed that an oil-like substance was observed emanating from an overturned vessel in the area of Canoe Bay, Tobago. It noted that TEMA is currently managing the incident and that an MEEI team had been dispatched to Tobago to assist, should TEMA and the THA so desire.

Overturned Vessel Sited in Tobago 

On Wednesday 07th February, Lambeau fishermen sited an overturned vessel in waters near Cove Estate, Tobago, which is in the vicinity of Canoe Bay. It was further discovered that an oil-like substance was leaking from the vessel. Traces of the substance were noticed on the shores at Roxborough, Belle Garden and down the southwest coast of Tobago. The substance has reached the main roads. The Lambeau fishermen were mystified having never encountered something like this before. They said it’s threatening a sensitive spawning ground noting that it has the potential to negatively impact Tobago’s fishing industry. The vessel is stuck approximately 200 meters from the shore.

Operation Gulf Stream

Director of the Tobago Marine Safety and Security Services Ltd, Alvin Douglas managed to determine the name of the vessel- “Gulf Stream”. However, is not clear where the vessel originated. 

At a press conference held in Scarborough on Thursday afternoon, Chief Secretary Augustine labelled ‘Operation Gulf Stream’ a “tier two disaster” requiring immediate national attention. He admitted there was an initial lapse in clean-up efforts. “Because the specialist equipment required for this clean up was never resident on the island (Tobago) in the first place, that meant that there [was] a lapse [in] time to get it to the island for the kind of work to happen.”

He assured the public that proper protocols would be followed to contain the oil spill and minimize environmental harm. 

Clean Up at Scarborough

A Call For Greater Autonomy

The oil spill disaster in Tobago has the potential to reach Tier 3 level as stakeholders grapple with clean-up efforts. At this stage, a national emergency will be declared by the President and the Central Government will then lead the clean-up and containment efforts. 

The Chief Secretary is calling for greater autonomy for Tobago. At the press conference held on Thursday, he said Tobago remains heavily dependent on its sister isle, Trinidad for most of what is needed to deal with the disaster. “You realise that I keep saying, we have to take the samples, send it to Trinidad. We have to get equipment that we don’t have on island.”

Trinidad is the larger of the two islands that make up the country, Trinidad and Tobago. Tobago has been seeking greater autonomy from Trinidad for decades to manage its affairs.