Sea fuel transfers ring environmental alarm
Some conservationists are worried that the unregulated activity, which is beyond the control of local authorities, could present a future environmental disaster for Cayman. Ship-to-ship transfers of fuel products just beyond the edge of Cayman waters, about 15 miles out to sea, are causing concern.
NCC member Davy Ebanks raised his concerns, while speaking at a recent National Conservation Council meeting, that the transfers are a “disaster waiting to happen” and said he wants government to step in, as some Cayman-based shipping companies are involved.
The island was once known for its shipping expertise, over the years the industry has shrunk. Ship-to-ship transfers were once common in Cayman waters, employing many locals, especially from the Brac. Now, this takes place beyond the country’s 12-mile water border.
According to government officials, the fuel being transferred is refined, but Ebanks is concerned that some of the transfers involve crude oil, which could pose a serious threat to Cayman’s beaches if there was a spill.
Action initiated
CNS contacted one of the local companies, West Indian Marine, that is understood to be participating in the transfer by supplying the equipment, people and vessels needed to help the international tankers involved transferring their cargos.
Status
The enquiries have remained unanswered for over a week. No one from the firm confirmed their involvement and none of the questions we asked about the transfers were answered.
Action initiated
Environment Minister Wayne Panton has said that the issue is a challenging one because the government has no power over the activity.
Status
Responding to Ebanks by email, Panton said that potential spills were not a major concern because the transfers are believed to be refined fuels, such as liquid propane, which evaporates.
Action initiated
The transfers are taking place northwest of Grand Cayman, which means the prevailing winds would be unlikely to impact the local beaches. Panton said that Cayman could only intervene in the activity if there was a direct and imminent threat, which he said could not be substantiated.
Status
Davy Ebanks, told the NCC last month that since no one is regulating the transfer, there is no way to be certain that crude oil is not being transferred and that prevailing winds could not always be relied upon to ensure that any oil spill would not end up on local beaches. He also noted the implications of a spill that contaminated anywhere else if a Cayman firm was involved.
Initiative by Ebanks
- Ebanks, who has been tracking the activity on websites and apps and has also seen the transfers at sea, urged his NCC colleagues to consider the issue and said that because it was being conducted “just barely out of sight, people are turning a blind eye to a potential spill or accident”.
- He said that he had pressed government officials and local politicians about plans to mitigate a potential oil spill because any efforts to implement rules to preserve the environment would be completely undermined.
- Ebanks also believes the community should know more about this and that government needs to speak openly about what is involved and what it can do, because he does not believe the local authorities are powerless if registered Cayman firms are involved. Suggesting that the vacuum of details regarding the transfers is being filled with all sorts of rumour and speculation, he said his own concerns were about the potential environmental disaster.
- He said that at the very least, even though the transfers may be happening leeward of Cayman and outside the country’s territorial waters, the government and the people have a right to know what is being transferred by whom, for what reasons and, above all, what safety measures are being employed.
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Source: Cayman News Service
