THE tug that was pulling the barge that caused the oil spill in Tobago has been detained in Angola.
This was revealed in a press release by the Energy Ministry on Thursday.
It stated, “The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago continues to utilise all resources at its disposal to attempt to ascertain and locate those responsible for the oil spill in Tobago.
“The Government has received information that the tug ‘Solo Creed’ may have been detained by authorities in Angola.”
An abandoned barge leaking oil off Canoe Bay, Tobago, has caused significant environmental damage after the spill was first reported on February 7.
The vessel, identified as a barge painted with the name Gulfstream, had been towed by the tug Solo Creed. Investigations revealed that the barge was the source of the oil spill. Tests conducted by the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) determined that the leaked substance was a heavy fraction of refined oil, specifically intermediate fuel oil, or bunker fuel.
The resulting oil slick has not only impacted Tobago—where schools were forced to close and fishermen demanded compensation—but has also reached Grenada and Bonaire.
The barge contains 12 fuel-carrying tanks.
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