TT experts get first-hand look at FSO Nabarima

A TEAM of experts were allowed to board the FSO Nabarima on Tuesday to get a first-hand look at the oil tanker which is said to be listing to one side as it remains moored in Venezuelan waters.

The vessel, which has more or less been abandoned because of its state of disrepair, has the potential to spill approximately 1.3 million barrels of crude oil which it stores into the Gulf of Paria, which could create an environmental nightmare for TT and other countries in the region.

Energy and Energy Industries Minister Franklin Khan, who convened the team of experts, the first non-Venezuelans to board the vessel, said he is anxiously awaiting a report so they could chart their next course.

He confirmed that the team, which comprised a petroleum engineer from the Ministry of Energy, Coast Guard officer who is a mechanical engineer and an expert in ships from the Maritime Services Division, was received by the Venezuelan authorities and allowed to inspect the vessel.

Khan said once he receives the report government would be better poised to determine the potential risk and take whatever action necessary to protect this country and citizens.

There have been mounting concerns about the state of disrepair of the vessel lodged in the Corocoro oil fields between Venezuela and Trinidad amid US sanctions imposed on Venezuela, and the ecological disaster it could cause should the cargo spill.

The issue has caught the attention of the international media, including NBC, which reported on Tuesday that there are growing concerns.

It reported lawmakers from the Venezuelan National Assembly, critics of President Nicholas Maduro, saying the risk had increased alarmingly and called on that country’s government to urgently unload oil from the Nabarima to avoid a disaster

It also quoted a release from María Gabriela Hernández Del Castillo, president of the assembly's Environment Commission, that “As a result of the weight and tides the ship is perceived to be more inclined (listing) than what was reported last August.”

American network news agency NBC also reported the concerns raised by the US embassy in Port of Spain, warning that a spill "could negatively impact not only the Venezuelan people but also those in nearby countries."

Caricom and Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne welcomed the international attention the issue was gaining. “The international press will put more pressure for action. That’s good. That increases pressure for a solution which does not lie in the hands of the government of TT. It is not our ship, despite what some of our friends in the NGO community iare trying to say.”

Browne, who was responsible for getting diplomatic clearances and to cut through bureaucratic channels to get the team on board, said he is also heartened by the TT public’s interest in this very important environmental matter.

“We’ve seen the effect of major oil spills in the past and the reality that the TT public is concerned about our marine environment, is concerned about the safety of our shoreline and the protection of our coastal waters, is a very, very good sign.

“The government has been responding, has taken consistent actions in this matter and has conveyed to the government of Venezuela the sentiments and deep concerns of the people of TT about the FSO Nabarima, and it is our response to those concerns, the very valid concerns of our people, that has continued to encourage our efforts, that has resulted in the dispatch of this team of experts and that will help to inform all our legal and responsible actions with respect to the Nabarima and all other matters affecting the people of TT.”

Browne said a lot of what is happening is not in the control of the TT government, but it is committed to assisting and hastaken all steps in its power, including Tuesday’s visit to the vessel, to ensure the safety and comfort of the people.