Two vessels involved in Trinidad oil spill

Two vessels involved in Trinidad oil spill
by AFP Staff Writers
Port Of Spain (AFP) Feb 14, 2024

At least two vessels, a barge and a tugboat, were involved in the accident last week that sparked a massive, ongoing oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago, the government of the Caribbean nation said Wednesday.

Authorities had been scrambling to figure out what happened after a mystery vessel -- now understood to be the barge -- capsized on February 7, after having made no emergency calls and with no sign of crew, and no clear sign of ownership.

Divers had previously spotted the name "Gulfstream" on the oil-leaking barge's side. The Coast Guard has "confirmed that the barge was being towed by a tug, the Solo Creed, from Panama," according to the statement.

Investigations by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard revealed that the vessels "appear to have been bound for Guyana," according to a statement from the Ministry of National Security.

"However, the Guyanese authorities have confirmed that neither vessel arrived as anticipated. At this state, it is not known whether any lives have been lost in the incident," it continued.

It said satellite imagery had shown the Solo Creed tugging an object on February 4.

"We have been working very closely with the Guyana Coast Guard in this critical matter and we appreciate their full-scale support," said Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of National Security, Fitzgerald Hinds, in the statement.

Hundreds of volunteers have been toiling since Thursday to halt the spread of the oil, and the government has asked for even more to lend a hand.

The leak has damaged a reef and Atlantic beaches, and residents of the village of Lambeau have been advised to wear masks or temporarily relocate.

The spill comes at the height of carnival, threatening the tourist business that is crucial to the dual-island nation's economy.

Philippines to file charges against sunken oil tanker owners
Manila (AFP) Feb 14, 2024 - The Philippine government said Wednesday it will file criminal charges against the owners of an oil tanker that sank off a central island nearly a year ago, causing severe marine pollution.

More than half of the vessel's 800,000-litre (211,000-gallon) oil cargo spilled into the sea over hundreds of kilometres off Mindoro island, famed for having some of the world's most diverse marine life.

A justice department statement said it will file charges against tanker owners and operators RDC Reield Marine Services, as well as an unspecified number of corporate officers and certain employees it did not name.

The company falsified documents used to register the Princess Empress, including papers relating to its construction and its license to carry cargo, prosecutors alleged.

Regulators including 19 from the Philippine Coast Guard, two from the Maritime Industry Authority and one private individual will also be charged, the justice department added, without naming them.

"Negligence cannot be used as an excuse to destroy the environment and livelihood of people," Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said in the statement.

The planned charges do not directly address the environmental damage caused by the February 28, 2023 sinking, which prevented thousands of fishermen along Mindoro's east coast from catching fish for months.

The statement did not say whether further charges would be filed.

The coast guard, the maritime regulator and a public relations firm representing the family-owned company did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment.

Under Philippine law, public officers found guilty of falsifying official documents can be jailed for up to 12 years.

Private individuals convicted of the same crime face up to six years in prison.