No new oil spill, says Heritage Petroleum

There is no new oil spill in Woodland, Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd said, the day after the head of a South Oropouche group expressed dissatisfaction over the company’s clean-up of the latest one.

A release on Friday from Heritage said the company is continuing its response operations near the Godineau (South Oropouche) River in Woodland.

After cutting the high grass and shrubs, the release said the company discovered a swampy area where a light oil sheen covered the water, and took immediate action to deal with it.

The release said, "It is possible that other surrounding areas may be similarly impacted, and the company is making every effort to swiftly identify and address these areas, to minimise the impact on the community and the environment. It is not a new spill."

On Thursday, head of the South Oropouche Riverine Flood Action Group Edward Moodie said, the spill was spreading to the Woodland wetland areas, from what he had been told. Moodie alleged that most affected areas were still contaminated and accused the company of trying to cover up the issue.

The release said after initial reports of the spill on November 18, Heritage immediately activated its incident command system and established an incident command centre at the site to co-ordinate its response activities.

The release listed some of these activities as identification, verification, and associated infrastructural and repair work near the spill.

The 16-inch pipeline was immediately isolated, flushed, and is currently free of hydrocarbon, both north and south of the Godineau River, the release said. The company also cleared the critical accessway for all necessary equipment to access the affected area to effect clean-up and repair works to the previously inaccessible inland areas.

It said now that there is proper access to do the work, all outstanding clean-up, maintenance, and repairs are being done, and the clean-up and remediation of the watercourse are 90 per cent complete.

Since the spill, the company said it had deployed additional booms to stop any oil spreading downstream, and there was ongoing surveillance and assessment of the shoreline and surrounding areas.

It also said it was continuing to search for affected wildlife in need of conservation and rehabilitation.

Heritage said it had deployed additional vessels and other resources, including the support of people from nearby communities, to assist in the clean-up.

There were also "ongoing engagements with affected stakeholders" as well as regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with acceptable health, safety, security, and environment standards.

Officials from Heritage Petroleum were expected to meet with MP for Oropouche West Dave Tancoo on Thursday. However, Tancoo asked for the meeting to be postponed.

"The company remains open to meeting with the MP," the release said. "Heritage also takes this opportunity to thank its stakeholders, especially the fisherfolk and residents, who have been working with us in our response efforts."