- Emergency workers in Trinidad and Tobago were scrambling to clean up a massive oil spill after a mystery vessel ran aground near the Caribbean island.
- At least 15 kilometers of coastline have been affected in Tobago and authorities were poised to declare a national emergency.
- Environmental officials said the spill has damaged a reef and Atlantic beaches.
A vessel of unidentified origins has capsized near the Cove Eco-Industrial Park in Tobago, causing a massive oil spill, reports Marine Insight.
Mysterious Ship Capsizes Leading To Massive Oil Spill
Officials on the Caribbean Island are trying their best to clean and contain the spill and investigating the mysterious ship that caused this environmental disaster. Oil has contaminated the southwestern part of the Island of Tobago and may spread further.
The government has classified it as a Tier II disaster, with the Tobago Emergency Management Agency, Environmental Management Authority and government agencies working together to contain it. They have put protective booms in place, and efforts to contain the spill continued till late night.
The incident happened on February 7, when the authorities received news of a capsized ship. No distress call had been received, and the search party could not find any crew members. They saw oil that was beginning to reach the shoreline.
Divers examined the vessel and reported its visual identity as Gulfstream; however, they could not retrieve its registration number mentioned on the stern as it was blocked by the oil. Additionally, the vessel’s visible name does not correspond with any of the international ship registries.
Per estimates, the vessel was 100 m long and carried sand and lumber. A nearby reef was also reportedly damaged, and a part of the vessel’s superstructure is missing. Plans to search for debris are underway amidst speculations that it might have been abandoned and left to float.
The vessel seems to have drifted into the cove from the south. Some said that they had seen it as early as Tuesday.
Many people are also helping clean up, and officials have asked the public to avoid southwest Tobago. For now, the biggest concern is the harm caused to the region’s marine ecosystem by this oil spill.
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Source: Marine Insight
