January 9, 2025 – The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has denied reports that oil spill waste stored at the Studley Park Dump is leaking into waterways and the nearby shoreline. The waste, which was collected from the Gulfstream Oil Spill, is being temporarily stored at the site. The issue was raised during an inquiry by Parliament’s Public Accounts and Appropriations Committee.
Senior Director of Environment, Climate Change, and Energy, Linford Beckles, explained that the high cost of disposal has delayed the process. However, he noted that the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries has committed to managing the disposal of the waste. In the meantime, Beckles assured that the site is under constant monitoring, with daily water testing conducted around the area to detect any potential leakage. On February 7th, 2024, the Gulfstream barge was shipwrecked and capsized on a reef near Cove, leaking bunker fuel along up to 15 km of coastline between Scarborough and Canoe Bay. The majority of the oil waste has since been removed from the shoreline.
