Oil Spill Relief Committee urges Tobago fisherfolk: Send in compensation claims

ALLAN STEWART, chair of the Oil Spill Relief Committee (OSRC), is urging Tobago fisherfolk and others who incurred losses as a result of the February 7 oil spill to complete their claim forms for compensation by the end of the month.

He spoke at a consultation for fisherfolk and other affected stakeholders at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex on July 18. The consultation was a follow-up to an OSRC meeting on July 15 at the Shaw Park Food Hub, at which the process for compensation was outlined.

International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC) representatives Andrew Taylor and Amanda Llanos attended the July 18 consultation.

Tobago was badly affected by a spill from a barge which overturned not far from the coast of Cove on February 7.

Llanos told stakeholders they had up to three years from the date of the event to submit their claims.

But Stewart urged them to complete the forms as fast as possible.

“The forms that you have in your hand, we don’t want you to take three years to bring back those forms. You have until the end of the month to send in those forms so we can start the process,” he said.

As a start, claimants must have a fisherman’s ID, show evidence of boat ownership, a vendor’s permit and

pictures of damage to property and equipment.

Stewart, who is also the Tobago Emergency Management Agency director, said the THA-appointed OSRC was formed by executive-council minute in May.

It works under the remit of the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development, and has been given three months to complete its work.

He said the committee, which meets every Tuesday, has been trying to gather as much information as possible to expedite the process.

Stewart told the fisherfolk they can consult the members of the committee if they have difficulty in completing the forms.

He added claims, which cover damage to property/equipment and loss of earnings, will be processed on their merits, and compensation will be determined by the “proper completion of the form and the submission of all the relevant information that can support your claim.”

Taylor, manager, marine services division, IOPC, said the organisation’s primary aim was to ensure those affected by the spill receive the necessary support and compensation.

He urged claimants to supply as much information as possible. These should include receipts, photos and records of earnings as well as a narrative to explain the losses.

Taylor said the IOPC has established open communication with the OSRC to streamline the process.

“We are committed to working with the OSRC to process your claims promptly and fairly, and our goal is to ensure that you receive compensation you deserve without any unnecessary delays,” he said.

In an interview with Newsday in April, All Tobago Fisherfolk Association president Curtis Douglas, said fisherfolk, who were among the major casualties of the spill, had at that time incurred losses of more than $12 million. He said the analysis took into account the fisherfolk’s continued loss of earnings as a result of not being able to fish in the waters off Tobago’s southwestern peninsula.

Douglas also said between 75 and 100 fishermen and vendors were directly affected by the oil spill.

He presented a copy of the cost analysis to Chief Secretary Farley Augustine on April 15 at the Shaw Park Complex and said, then that the document had also been e-mailed to Augustine on April 12.

On February 7, the Gulfstream barge was found overturned and leaking hydrocarbon some 200 metres off the coast of the Cove Eco-Industrial Park. Millions of dollars have been spent to date cleaning up the spill.

Augustine, in a release from his office on July 18, said the THA had received the $50 million promised by Central Government to help with expenses arising from the oil spill.