The Fishermen and Friends of Sea (FFOS) is querying what will become of the oil that is drifting northwest of Tobago that hasn’t been contained.
FFOS general secretary Gary Aboud said: “This disaster is yet another reason why an effective national radar network is needed. It underscores the urgency of a collaborative Caricom network with synchronised laws and penalties, emergency response, information sharing, and offshore surveillance…”
FFOS has called for answers on the whereabouts of the tug that was pulling the barge, stressing that abandonment of the hydrocarbon toxic substance which fouled Tobago’s coastlines must be a criminal charge.
Citing T&T’s laws and policies to protect against oil pollution, the FFOS asked who will bear the clean up-costs and when will the tug’s owners inform T&T of the volume of crude oil that was being transported.
“The last time anyone was charged for an oil spill was in 2013, when the now defunct Petrotrin was charged $20 million for spilling 7,000 barrels of bunker C fuel which came ashore in La Brea. We estimate this Tobago spill is already three times larger. Since then, there have been hundreds of spills, with an average of two per week, and Trinidad has never charged anyone,” Aboud claimed.
The FFOS also asked when fisherfolk will be compensated and called for independent assessment of the efficacy of the booms and other clean-up measures.