[UPDATED] PM: Oil spill culprits will be found

THE Prime Minister vowed that the people responsible for the February 7 oil spill off the southwest coast of Tobago will be held accountable for their actions.

Extensive local, regional and international investigations are currently underway to locate the owners of the two vessels involved in the oil spill.

Those vessels are reportedly the tug boat, Solo Creed, and the barge, Gulfstream, which is overturned on a reef off Tobago.

While efforts are ongoing to safely remove the oil leaking from the Gulfstream and contain its spread, Dr Rowley hinted that the response to the oil spill could be elevated with help being sought from foreign governments.

He dismissed claims on Wednesday by Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine about attempts by Government to cover-up the oil spill.

Rowley supported calls by Energy Minister Stuart Young, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan for the public to disregard all information being advanced by uninformed and unofficial local, regional and international sources about the oil spill.

He made these comments in the House of Representatives on Friday.

Rowley said many leads are being pursued with respect to finding the owners of the vessels involved in the spill.

According to information on Vesselfinder.com, the Solo Creed is a Tanzanian-registered vessel.
Information on tanker.trackers.com claimed the Gulfstream was built in Busan, South Korea in 1975 and it's name has changed several times.

The Gulfstream's operating status is defined as "decommissioned or lost."

While the immediate task is protecting, preserving and restoring the environment in the area of the spill, Rowley promised, "We will also relentlessly seek to find out who is responsible and hold them liable for all that they are required to indemnify us for."

The Coast Guard, he continued, has been collaborating with local and regional entities such as the Works and Transport Ministry's Maritime and Services Division, Guyana Coast Guard and regional security agency Caricom Impacs "in an urgent effort to identify the vessels and their owners."

Rowley, who is national security minister in Caricom's quasi-cabinet, said Impacs contacted authorities in Panama and Aruba for satellite photos of the tug boat and barge, as these countries were the two known ports-of-call for those vessels.

"In response the Dutch authorities in Aruba provided images of both vessels which can help in confirming the identity of one of the vessels."

Rowley said the nature and legality of the operations of both vessels is still to be determined.
At this stage, he continued, "We believe that this whole situation was triggered by a towing operation gone bad."

Rowley hinted that as new information becomes available, Government may speak to foreign governments, including Venezuela, with respect to finding the owners of the vessels.

While these investigations continue, Rowley said the situation is not helped by unconfirmed information and reports being raised locally, regionally and internationally about the spill.

He was disappointed with Augustine's claims about a cover-up and the spill being connected to alleged interests by unknown parties in Petrotrin's defunct refinery in Pt Fortin. That refinery was closed in 1994.

Government MPs thumped their desks as Rowley declared, "The Government knows of no such existence of any such interest or conflict and view this assertion as patently ridiculous." At a news conference in Scarborough on Wednesday, Augustine claimed to have received a Whatsapp message claiming the spill had something to do with interest in the Pt Fortin refinery.

Rowley quoted a letter sent from the Energy Ministry to the THA on February 8, records of virtual and physical meetings between Government, THA and other stakeholders since February 7 and details of personnel and assets deployed to Tobago by different entities as evidence that Augustine and the THA have been constantly updated about all aspects of the response to the oil spill.

"There has been no hint of any cover-up."

He said the national oil spill contingency plan is currently operating at Tier 2, to deal with the oil spill.

"We are handling the situation according to plan."

Rowley hinted that additional external assistance may be needed.

At this time, he continued, "We have not invoked the declaration of a Tier 3 emergency." Rowley said Venezuela and Brazil have offered to help with clean-up and containment operations.

"Our major task now is to empty the contents of the vessel in a controlled operation and neutralise the threat."

The scope of the operation is being assessed and external expertise will be sought if there is none available locally.

Rowley rejected what he described as uninformed commentary that had TT's maritime borders been closed and permits were required for all vessels to pass through its territorial waters, the oil spill would not have happened.

"Unlike our air space there is no international law which requires non-military vessels from exercising the right of innocent passage through our waters."

Rowley said oil spills are one risk in this regard and this is why there is a national oil spill contingency plan.

Earlier in the sitting, Young said, "The mere fact that no one has come forward to take responsibility for this vessel, speaks a thousand words."

He added, "It shows us that whoever is responsible, is not at least at this stage, prepared to take the liability that is associated with what has happened."

Young said Government is using all of its international connections and diplomatic channels to trace both the barge and the tugboat  and "identify the owners and those who are responsible.

Responding to a question from Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh, Young said the cargo of the barge appears to be a fuel oil-type substance.

While booms have been placed around the barge to limit the leakage of oil from it, Young said two different teams of divers and remote operated vehicles (ROVs) which have been sent to the barge, have been unable to locate the source of the leak.

He added there are no schematics available for the barge to indicate where the leak could be or how much oil could be on board.

Young identified bp, Shell, Petrobras and Pdvsa among the external entities that are collaborating with local stakeholders to find a way to neutralise the oil inside of the barge and safely remove it.

Later in the sitting, Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George approved a request from Indarsingh for the House to debate the oil spill as an urgent matter of definite public importance.

This story was originally published with the title PM: Refinery link to oil spill 'patently ridiculous' and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

THE Prime Minister hinted of a possible escalation of the national response to the February 7 oil spill off the southwest coast of Tobago.

Dr Rowley also rejected claims by Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine about Government attempting to cover up what and who may have caused the spill.

He made these comments in a statement to the House of Representatives on Friday.

The national oil spill contingency plan is currently at tier 2 to deal with the spill.

Rowley said the means "we are handling the situation according to plan but may require a bit of outside help."

He added, "However we have not invoked the declaration of a tier 3 emergency."

Rowley said a multi-pronged local, regional and international investigations are currently underway to identify the vessels involved in the oil spill and their owners.

He vowed that the people responsible for the oil spill will be held accountable.

Rowley dismissed claims by Augustine of a cover-up of the spill being linked to an alleged interest in a former Petrotrin refinery in Pt Fortin as "patently ridiculous."

He supported earlier statements made in the sitting by Energy Minister Stuart Young about efforts currently underway to safely remove the liquid cargo from the barge and prevent any further environmental damage.

Before Rowley spoke, the House approved a request from Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh to debate the oil spill as a definite matter of urgent public importance.