165 fishermen affected by Cedros oil spill

HUNDREDS of bags of oil mixed with sea sand were scraped off the shore along the coastline of Cedros, as the black liquid wormed its way into the coastal community from late Thursday affecting approximately 165 fishermen, plus five or six sailors employed on each vessel.

Oil skimmers in white hazmat suits were seen on the St Marie beach at Bonasse Village, where the cleanup started on Friday morning, bagging the precious liquid that is believed to have escaped from one of the nearby offshore platforms belonging to Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd.

In a brief statement, Heritage said it had responded to reports of hydrocarbon sighting at beaches along the southwest coast, the source which is yet to be determined.

It said it had initiated the incident management team (IMI) and a spill response team had been dispatched to undertake clean-up activities.

The company said it was engaging the local community and it had informed the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, the Environmental Management (EMA) and other marine stakeholders of the incident.

When Newsday visited the community on Friday, Heritage workers, dressed in orange coveralls, arrived at Bonasse to speak with fisherfolk and assess the damage at three fishing communities – Bamboo, Bonasse and Fullarton.

Based on past experiences, fishermen said the spill would take days to clean and called for compensation in the interim.

Ramjit Lookoor who owns three boats said it was not the first time an oil spill had tainted their boats, engines, nets and rope anchors, making it impossible to go out to sea to earn their livelihood.

Lookoor who had been traversing the seas for his livelihood for over 50 years, noted, “In the past, we used to get compensation from the company (Petrotrin). Since Heritage took over, we don’t get one single thing.”

He explained that the damage done to their boats and engines were costly as it left a brown stain which requires a gel coating to bring back the shine.

“When the oil gets on the nets, the fish don’t come near it. They take one whiff of the oil, and they take off.

“I have 15 workers employed on my three boats, because two and three men cannot pull a full net. You need about five people to do that. These boats work for about $3,000 to $3,500 per day after we pay workers. Is a lot of people depending on us for their livelihood.”

Aaron Bachan, one of youngest boat owners said nets cost about $1,300 for 25 pounds.

“Most men have between 200 to 250 pounds of nets on their vessels, so do the maths. Is carite we are working with and carite like blue. When the nets get contaminated and turn brown, it is like a wall under the clear water and the carite don’t bite. We have to cut down the nets and build it back.”

Nigel Jacob said fishermen came out on Friday morning prepared to go out to sea to repeat the good catch they enjoyed the day before, but they were confronted with a blackened shoreline and discoloured fishing apparatus.

“On Thursday we had a good catch. Some people netted about 700 pounds of carite and others about 900 pounds.”

A boat owner who employs six sailors, Jacob said, “Every hour we remain on land affects our livelihood. Most of the sailors also depend on this trade. Fishermen are vital to this community.”

He said the beaches also boosted the local tourism industry and economy.

“Bonasse beach is one of the more popular beaches in Cedros. Every major festival we have in Cedros, like Hosay and Carnival, Bonasse beach is the place to be. At this point, all of the guest houses are full, but this morning there are no visitors on the beach.

“This is a time when children who are on vacation would come to bathe. Not a child can be seen this morning.”

As he spoke to the Newsday some of the fisher folk became loud and obscene, causing Jacob to explain, “That is their way of expressing their frustration with this situation. They depend solely on the sea to live, and the oil spill is affecting their bread and butter.

“I hope Heritage urgently cleans up this mess and the authorities take some time to examine what is happening because these constant spills are causing the marine life to disappear.”

Former councillor for the area Shankar Teelucksingh also called for urgent attention to the situation

Teelucksingh, a former Petrotrin employee, said when they noticed the oil seeping into the sea and shore on Thursday, he immediately contacted Heritage, sending supporting videos of the disaster.

“I expected at the break of dawn a high-level team would have responded to bring some relief to the fisherfolk. It is after noon and I understand Heritage is now trying to activating its command centre and looking at the situation before they respond.

“This is not good. These fishermen dig deep into their pockets and spend approximately $700 for one container of gas, which before the increase in fuel would have cost $300.

“In spite safety and security challenges, fisherfolks face the risks daily, to provide food for this nation and government is turning a blind eye to their situation.”