Oil Spill off the Coast of Trinidad and Tobago Drifts Into Caribbean, Threatening Marine Life and Coral Reefs

Parts of an oil spill first detected near the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago on February 7 are drifting into the Caribbean Sea, putting the country’s coral reefs, as well as other nations, at risk.

The spill was determined to have been caused by an overturned barge being pulled by a tugboat called Solo Creed, according to a post by Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of National Security.

Monitoring service TankerTrackers.com said the barge and tugboat were on their way to the Grenadines and St. Vincent, reported Reuters.

“The satellite showed that some of it was moving into the Caribbean Sea, as well as some of the modeling,” Allan Stewart, director of Trinidad and Tobago’s emergency management agency (TEMA), told Reuters. 

The boat overturned approximately 480 feet off the coast of Venezuela, The Washington Post reported.

A national emergency was declared by Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, reported The Guardian. At least two schools have been closed amid health concerns, and a cleanup effort has begun.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley told reporters on Sunday that workers were cleaning beaches, working on containing the spill with booms and protecting wildlife, according to The Washington Post.

Parts of the 7.46-mile spill have been spotted moving into the Caribbean in opposite directions, TEMA said, as Reuters reported.

TEMA photographs posted on Tuesday revealed progress in cleaning up beaches in Tobago, with roughly a third of the 9.3 miles of shoreline having been cleaned, Stewart said.

“This is a national emergency and therefore it will have to be funded as an extraordinary expense,” Rowley told reporters, as reported by The Independent. “[W]e don’t know the full scope and scale of what is going to be required. Right now, the situation is not under control. But it appears to be under sufficient control that we think we can manage.”

Rowley said the vessel appeared to be leaking “some kind of hydrocarbon.”

According to officials, divers have been having a hard time containing the spill as concerns over its damage to the area’s ecosystem, as well as tourism, increased.

Oil’s toxic substances can have a lasting impact on coral reefs, fish and other marine life.

Rowley said offers of help have been extended by several countries.

The oil spill happened during one of Trinidad and Tobago’s largest tourist attractions, Carnival season, CNN reported.

“The best part of Tobago’s economy is its tourism, so it is important that we be cognizant that we don’t expose the tourism product to this kind of thing,” Rowley said, according to CNN.

Residents of Lambeau expressed concerns about their health as a stench from the spill filled the air, local media said.

Farley Augustine, the Tobago House of Assembly’s chief secretary, advised residents with respiratory issues to “self-relocate” and use masks.

“Cleaning and restoration can only seriously begin after we have brought the situation under control,” Rowley said, as reported by The Independent.