By Prior Beharry
OPPOSITION MP Dr Roodal Moonilal calls for a thorough forensic investigation into the Tobago oil spill.
He accused the government of being oblivious to the incident.
Speaking at the United National Congress’ (UNC) weekly Sunday media briefing in Chaguanas, Dr Moonilal criticised the lack of clarity regarding the government’s actions to probe the parties and circumstances involved in what he termed “an act of environmental terrorism.”
The spill, reported on February 7, continues to impact parts of Tobago’s southwestern coast, with ongoing cleanup efforts and an overturned Gulfstream barge leaking oily fuel in Cove Industrial and Business Estate.
The tug Solo Creed, allegedly towing the barge when disengaged, remains missing, and the vessels’ owners are untraceable. International reports, including from Bellingcat, suggest connections between Solo Creed, the vessels, Panama, and Guyana.
Moonilal expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided by local authorities since the incident and cited concerns that the oil had reached Grenada’s waters, Bonaire, and posed a threat to Curacao’s marine territory.
He questioned Trinidad and Tobago’s potential legal responsibility for the spill’s long-term impact on livelihoods and demanded more answers from the Ministry of National Security.
Describing the spill as a “regional security and environmental disaster,” Moonilal alleged that T&T’s waters and agencies were being exploited for sanction-busting. He called for a multi-agency, cross-border forensic investigation to unravel the incident’s complexities, labeling it an “environmental act of terrorism and sanction busting.”
Moonilal said there was need for a full criminal investigation to trace digital footprints and determine liability for damages.
He criticised a reported siphoning of 420,000 gallons of oil and water from the ocean, deeming such information insufficient and underscored the importance of a comprehensive inquiry to obtain complete answers surrounding the Tobago oil spill.
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