Trinidad and Tobago said on Sunday it had contained a small offshore oil spill after neighboring Venezuela accused the Caribbean nation of causing serious environmental damage in shared waters in the Gulf of Paria.
“Visual observations confirmed that the dispersant effectively broke up the hydrocarbon. Follow-up inspections using both drones and vessels showed no visible hydrocarbons remaining on the water’s surface,” Trinidad said.
Venezuela’s government said late on Saturday that a hydrocarbon spill originating from Trinidad and Tobago had affected coastal areas in the Venezuelan states of Sucre and Delta Amacuro, as well as the Gulf of Paria, raising concerns about impacts on mangroves, wetlands, marine ecosystems and fishing communities. The Gulf of Paria, a body of water shared by Trinidad and Venezuela, is an important oil and gas producing zone and ecologically sensitive fishing area.
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Trinidad’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries said the spill, detected on May 1 by state-owned Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd, involved an estimated 10 barrels of oil and was contained the same day.
The ministry said oil spill trajectory modelling showed the hydrocarbons could have crossed the Trinidad-Venezuela maritime border in the Gulf of Paria if left untreated.
It said chemical dispersants were deployed about 6 to 8 nautical miles from the border shortly after approval was granted by authorities, adding that follow-up inspections using drones and vessels found no visible hydrocarbons remaining on the water’s surface. The leak source was repaired and returned to service on May 2, it added.
“The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries is also committed to working with its counterparts in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to develop a structured framework to manage any incidents of this nature which may arise in the future along our shared border,” the ministry said.
The Venezuelan government said it had instructed its foreign ministry to seek detailed information about the incident and the mitigation plan, while also demanding compliance with international environmental obligations and reparative measures for any damage caused.
