A video showing a ship leaving the Port of Spain harbour appearing to dump waste has gone viral on social media.
The video, which was shared by Andre Lumsden last Thursday and showed the ship leaving the harbour and dumping what appeared to be bags of garbage and other waste in the water.
The ship is thought to be Taiwanese with the name ‘Liberty‘, and the marking ‘JBPX5’.
Citizens expressed disgust and are calling for the incident to be investigated:
“Foreign fishing vessel dumps garbage in Port of Spain harbour. Hopefully the Coast Guard can track them down and fine them for littering. The vessel registration is a bit fuzzy. Who can tell the number? Come on. These boats are fishing out the ocean but also dumping garbage under our nose,” said Marc de Verteuil, director of conservation group Papa Bois Conservation.
“Oh so because they’ve done it in the past it’s ok to do? Because our own citizens have done and continue to do it, it’s ok to do? When will the cycle of dumping garbage end? No one has any excuse to do this. Let us stop this now!”
“If they cannot get to the boat. They should fine the company in Trinidad that looks after these Taiwanese and Chinese shrimpers. As a matter of fact the time has come where we should terminate whatever agreements we have with these Asian fishing companies. In my view they.cause more harm than good to Trinidad and Tobago.”
According to the Shipping Act ships are required to uphold the safety of the environment in alignment with the MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
The Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago is mandated to “The inspection of foreign registered vessels calling at/visiting ports in Trinidad and Tobago to ensure compliance with national and international safety, and pollution prevention standards”.
Disclaimer: This video is intended for informational purpose only. This may not be construed as a news item or advice of any sort. Please consult the experts in that field for the authenticity of the presentations.
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Source: Looptt
