FFOS wants independent oil spill inquiry

Corporate secretary of the environmental lobby group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) Gary Aboud is calling for independent verification of the quantity of oil that was spilled last week Thursday from RP1 and Platform 9 in the Soldado Main Field, South Trinidad.

The Heritage Petroleum Company said the volume was less than five barrels and it had no material impact on the environment.

However, Aboud said there was no way of knowing the exact spilled volume.

He also said, "There is a history of misleading information coming out of the various oil companies, so we are calling for transparency regarding volume spill with independent verification. Remember, it's Heritage employees who came back and told us it was five barrels. Who is verifying that it's five barrels? It is not in their interest to say that it was 50,000 barrels.

"We don't know how many barrels spilled." He said FFOS was planning to try to find out.

"We are planning an expedition to go out and look for these spills. There are so many old pipelines there.

"According to Prof John Agard, when he was chairman of the EMA (Environmental Management Authority), there are about 20,000 leaks.

"The much larger question is that of the dilapidated pipelines and whether Heritage has the money or the responsibility or the determination to maintain all these wells and pipelines when there is ongoing maintenance required."