Gunmen storm shipwreck, shoot Coast Guard officer

A MEMBER of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) was shot and is now hospitalised after gunmen stormed the Gulfstream shipwreck in Sea Lots on the night of August 23.

The barge, which sank off Cove, Tobago, on February 7, was refloated on August 20 and arrived at Sea Lots, Port of Spain, on August 22.

A Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) release said the assailants attempted an unauthorised boarding at the wreck site, leading to a shootout with Coast Guard officers This confrontation resulted in a non-life-threatening injury to the officer.

The August 24 release said the wreck site "continues to be protected by the TT Coast Guard and the TTPS, with the safety of all response personnel remaining paramount during the final stages of operation."

It concluded by saying the Ministry of Energy is working closely with the TTPS, TT Coast Guard and TT Army to ensure the safety and security of the site.

On February 7, the barge was found overturned and leaking an oil-like substance approximately 200 metres off the coast of Cove. The substance was later identified as bunker fuel.

The barge had been under tow by a tugboat, the Solo Creed, when it capsized on a reef, causing a spill that affected approximately 15 kilometres of Tobago's southwestern coast.

To address the environmental impact, de-inventory operations began on April 13. According to a Ministry of Energy release on June 29, these operations involved pumping hydrocarbons from the wreck into a temporary storage facility at the Cove.

The hydrocarbons were then loaded onto road-tank wagons, transported to the Port of Scarborough and transferred to a tanker.

By June 28, approximately 32,000 barrels had been successfully extracted from the capsized barge.

After this "de-inventory" phase, the Gulfstream was towed to Trinidad.

The Ministry of Energy reported on August 22 that the barge, still overturned, was moved by two tugs provided by the National Energy Corporation, with additional support from a third vessel.

The journey from Cove  to Sea Lots took about 30 hours.

As a precaution, the transit was accompanied by a "Pollution Task Force" comprising local responders and QT Environmental crews.

On August 21, at 5.25 pm, ADCI-certified divers completed survey assessments of the barge off Chacachacare and it was subsequently moved to the Sea Lots Channel. Its journey was completed at 6.43 am the following day.

The final phase of the operation will involve preparing the barge for storage. The Gulfstream will  then be handed over to the Director of Maritime Services, also known as the "principal receiver of wrecks," of the Maritime Services Division of the Ministry of Works and Transport.