Make the culprit pay

While clean-up operations have commenced on the oil spill off the north-western peninsula since last weekend, several affected agencies have called for someone to be held accountable. However up to press time, environmental and government agencies have not yet identified the source of the oil.

“As a nation we need to clearly demonstrate to the world that we are serious about conserving our natural heritage,” said the Incoming Tour Operators Association in a press release.

“We urge government agencies to take immediate and aggressive action to both clean up the spill and to ensure that whoever has created this disaster is held accountable and receives the full force of Trinidad and Tobago’s laws.”

On Saturday last, managers of marinas on the north-western peninsula saw vessels coming into their docks with an oily residue on their bases. By 1 am on Sunday, a notice had been issued that there had been an oil spill over a mass of water the size of St James.

The spill, combined with high spring tides, left the shore lined with a thick, black, oily substance and a pungent stench.

In a release sent to the media yesterday, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) said they together with the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) have begun clean-up activities on the shore. Samples have also been collected to determine the extent of the pollution and the type of oil.

When Newsday visited Chagville, one of the areas badly affected, crews from Kaizen Environmental Services, were clearing oil-covered debris from the shoreline. At Pier 1, Northwestern Maritime, contracted by the marina, was also involved in the cleaning-up operation. Newsday was told that since the oil was coming high up on the shores, clean-up crews were using devices to trap the layer of oil floating on the water, and pads to absorb it.

While it has not been confirmed, fishers and marina managers told Newsday they believed the oil came from a bilge tank which may have been ruptured or had its contents dumped.

A bilge tank contains all the waste gathered from a vessel and its crew. In several cases, oil is also gathered in this tank. The IMA has warned the public to refrain from going into the waters on the north-western peninsula until clean-up exercises are completed.