Guyana Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said Guyana is willing to help Trinidad and Tobago with the oil spill that is affecting the smaller island.
“It has become an international event – a tier 3 event. So, a number of international bodies have been approached,” Jagdeo said during a February 15 press conference. “If we have any capacity to deal with this matter… we are willing to share with our neighbors.”
Two vessels – a barge and a tug – were involved in the spill the country is battling. Investigations revealed the vessels were destined for Guyana.
The Ministry of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago said a spill of black oily deposits was identified in the waters from the Scarborough area to Lowlands in Tobago, posing a serious threat to the island’s biodiversity. It is unclear whether any lives were lost.
“This is a national emergency, and therefore it will have to be funded as an extraordinary expense,” Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said during a press conference last Sunday. “We don’t know the full scope and scale of what is going to be required.”
The slick’s drift may also have the potential to affect other countries. The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, in a recent report, said Grenada has contacted the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and other partners, as some of the spill may have entered that country’s marine space.
