By Prior Beharry
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley says that government has engaged a private company for satellite imagery that will show where the two vessels involved in an oil spill last month off the coast of Tobago originated.
In answer to a question from Opposition Member of Parliament Dr Roodal Moonilal in the Lower House on Wednesday, Rowley said, “The maritime division has also engaged a private satellite company to assist in satellite imagery of where the vessels originated and travelled on its journey before the vessel tragically ended up on a reef in Tobago.”
Dr Moonilal asked, “With regard to the oil spill off the coast of Tobago on February 7, 2024, will the Prime Minister update the House on all measures to trace the missing tug and identify the owners of the Gulfstream barge?”
Reports indicated that the barge called the “Gulfstream” is now lodged on a reef just 150 metres from the coast on the southeastern side of the Caribbean island of Tobago.
Maritime insiders say that the vessel may have been carrying oil it picked up from sanctioned Venezuela.
While the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) government stated that the barge was being towed by a tug called “Solo Creed” and was heading to Guyana from Panama, TankerTrackers.com in a post on X, formerly called Twitter, stated that the barge with the name “Gulfstream” was seen in Pozuelo Bay, Venezuela during the final week of January. TankerTrackers.com is also claiming that the barge may have been carrying as much as 35,000 barrels of fuel oil.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) has identified the product onboard the leaking vessel as bunker fuel and is awaiting samples to trace its origin.
A collaboration by T&T Guardian Newspapers and online site Bellingcat traced the ownership of the vessels to a director at a network of Panamanian companies with a history of transporting oil from Venezuela.
Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Farley Augustine last week said that the bunker fuel, that affected 15 kilometres of Tobago’s coastline and was now present in Aruba, was no longer leaking from the vessel. Clean-up operations continued in Tobago.
On Wednesday, Dr Rowley said, “The government of Trinidad and Tobago has to ensure a certain degree of accuracy in identifying owners of the Gulfstream barge and has been using all official channels at its disposal to do so.
“The government of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry of foreign and CARICOM Affairs has sent out a number of diplomatic notes to various countries including Panama, Guyana and Aruba seeking information with respect to the said vessel and documentation of evidence of ownership.”
He said, “Additionally, the government via the maritime division has been using its official network to trace and verify ownership. This has included inquiries of the International Maritime Organisation and the other maritime divisions including Guyana, Aruba and certain West African countries where the vessels may have been registered… The government is also seeking assistance from the foreign and regional agencies and tracking the ownership of the vessel.”
Dr Rowley said, “To date, whilst there have been documents and information that indicate connections with the vessel, the confirmation of ownership has so far, not been to the satisfaction of the government. If legal action has to be taken, the government has to be satisfied that we have pertinent and credible information as to who the perpetrators are and where liabilities lie. That exercise continues.”
Dr Moonilal then asked, “Is the prime minister saying that one day short of one month after this disaster, the government knows absolutely nothing as to the owners of the tug or the badge?”
Dr Rowley replied, “Well, since the member has problems with words, I will try to assist him again.”
He said, “I did say Madam speaker, that we had some documents. There have been documents and information. That is all the government can work with – documents and information.
“I don’t know what he’s working with, but this government will work with documents and pertinent information.”
Dr Moonilal asked what did these documents say as to ownership of the barge?
Dr Rowley replied, “I do not have the documents in front of me,” which brought laughter from the opposition benches.
The prime minister added, “I do not have the documents in front of me, but these are documents pertaining to the issue of who owns the vessels, at what time, where the vessels might have been, and what they might have been doing.
“I simply want to say Madam speaker, contrary to the misinformation, whatever happened could have happened in open international waters when a barge disconnected from his hauler and drifted into our (waters).
“If the others know differently they can act upon it. The government cannot act upon hearsay and how you feel. We have to act on evidence that is justiciable in a court of law.
Dr Moonilal said, “In light of the complete lack of preparedness of the prime minister to respond to this question, could I ask the prime minister since the documents, you are aware of documents you have but you did not walk with it in preparation to this question. Can you give an undertaking that you will release information as to the owners of the tugboat and the badge involved in this act of environmental terrorism?”
After the Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George intervened, asking Moonilal to state his question, he asked, “Could the prime minister give an undertaking to disclose the ownership of both vessels since you have the documents?”
Dr Rolwey replied. “I am not going to allow this member to put any words in my mouth. I did not say I have documents about the ownership of both vessels. I never said that. And I am not, I am not in a position here to say that. And I did not say that in pursuit of the ownership of that vessel, I said, we do have some documents, we have some information, we are seeking confirmation as to the ownership and I will go no further and he is not to put any words in my mouth.”
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