Imbert: Oil-spill boat arrested in Angola

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert said the tugboat Solo Creed had been arrested in Angola in his wrap-up speech in the Senate budget debate on October 23.

The Senate passed the 2024-2025 budget on its third day of debate after its previous passage in the House of Representatives.

On February 7, the tugboat was towing the barge Gulfstream when the latter reportedly overturned on a reef and then began to leak bunker oil in the waters off Cove, Tobago.

The oil contaminated part of Tobago’s coast and also reportedly reached Grenada and Bonaire, spilling 51,000 barrels of oil, with the Government donating $50 million towards clean-up out of $134 million sought by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

On Wednesday, Imbert said, “On Friday last, through the Attorney General’s Office, TT arrested the tug, the Solo Creed, in Angola, which was the abandoned barge (sic) off Tobago that caused so much damage in Tobago.

“That is performance! PNM style. We tracked down that barge and we arrested it!”

The arrest of a ship means its restriction by court order to secure a maritime legal claim and to prevent fleeing to avoid penalties.

Imbert said he was looking forward to presenting his eleventh budget in 2025, seemingly in reference to the general election due next year.

Imbert began his wrap-up by chiding the Opposition for presenting two extra senators to speak in the debate beyond its six permanent senators.

He said it has become fashionable and habitual for some Opposition senators to become mysteriously ill at budget time, such that a seventh, eighth or even ninth temporary senator turns up to speak on the budget. Calling this action “a complete travesty” and “a violation of the Constitution”, he vowed not to recognise the contributions of the two acting senators. Senate Leader Paula Gopee-Scoon chimed in, “Not that they were worthy anyway.”

Imbert did not call names but was referring to Dr Tim Gopeesingh and Dominic Smith.

Regarding the allocation to Tobago, including the Tobago House of Assembly, Imbert said $3.2 billion for 63,000 people worked out at $50,0793 per person.

He said this exceeded the $35,000 per capita allocation for Grenada ($4.1 billion for 117,000 people), St Lucia’s allocation of $25,000 ($4.75 billion for 179,000) and the $40,370 per capita for Barbados ($11 billion for 282,000 people.)

Justifying Tobago’s new airport terminal, he said Panama City’s fine airport had made it a regional hub, as had also happened in Singapore.

He urged people to think big for Tobago rather than be limited to mom-and-pop-scaled hospitality accommodation. “That can’t be tourism!” he said.

Imbert said it would be the Government’s priority to establish proper refuelling facilities at a marina in Tobago, to boost tourism.

On the minimum wage, he said he had been emotionally moved by his constituents who were MTS workers, but later said if the level was set too high in private businesses, workers could end up losing their jobs.