Trinidad and Tobago to claim compensation for February oil spill

Trinidad and Tobago may soon get international compensation for its oil-spill response after the February 7 oil spill incident off Tobago.

Energy Minister Stuart Young met with representatives of the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund on May 20 to discuss the next steps in the claims process for compensation for the oil spill.

The meeting took place at the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, Port of Spain. At the meeting were representatives of the Coast Guard, the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Institute of Marine Affairs.

Fifteen kilometres of Tobago's coast was polluted after the overturned barge Gulfstream was found leaking an oily substance near Cove.

In a response to questions in Parliament about the spill, the Prime Minister said 50,000 barrels of oil were subsequently removed.

A media release from the Energy Ministry quoted the IOPC as saying the next step would be evaluating the claims for economic losses due to the spill. This would include a thorough and transparent process to ensure all claims are validated and considered for compensation. Both parties reportedly committed to maintaining communication and co-operation to ensure the claims process is seamless.

At the meeting, Young said the government intends to take legal action against the owners of the vessels involved in the accident: the barge, Gulfstream, and the tug, Solo Creed. Though the owners have not yet been identified, he told the IOPC TT continues to aggressively pursue leads to identify them using all available resources.

In April, Young led a high-level delegation to London to champion Trinidad and Tobago’s case for compensation for its oil-spill response to the IOPC. After Young’s presentation, the IOPC agreed to pay compensation for claims arising from the incident.