Barbados monitors tilting oil tanker FSO Nabarima

All eyes are on the FSO Nabarima in the Gulf of Paria as assessment teams and evaluate its ability to stay afloat.

The ship, which is permanently anchored between TT and Venezuela, has nearly 1.3 million barrels of crude oil on board. If it spilledit could cause immense damage to the marine environment in TT, the wider Caribbean and South America.

The latest update from the Barbadian government said the Nabarima has been on its priority list since the issue was raised in early September.

A media statement from its Ministry of Maritime Affairs on Tuesday said various bodies met to evaluate the issue and devise mitigation methods in the eventuality of an oil spill.

Its National Oil Spill Committee and the National Oil Spill Response Team met on September 11 under the chairmanship of the director of the Environmental Protection Department, to evaluate the potential risk to Barbados and to review the readiness of the national oil spill response mechanism, it said.

“The committee also sourced information from the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information and Training Centre – Caribe (RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe) to inform the evaluation.”

The Barbadian government added it had an emergency response unit on standby in the unlikely event of an oil spill.

On Tuesday TT’s Foreign Affairs and Caricom Ministry sent a team of experts on board for a first-hand look and to report back on the state of the tilted ship and the potential threat.

The team comprised a petroleum engineer from the Ministry of Energy, Coast Guard officer who is a mechanical engineer and an expert in ships from the Maritime Services Division.

Their findings will determine the next steps to be taken by the TT government.