Over 51,000 barrels of liquid waste and more than 21,000 cubic yards of solid waste have been removed to date from coastal areas in Tobago affected by the February 7th grounding of the vessel “Gulfstream” in the vicinity of Cove Reef, 200 metres off the shoreline of Cove Bay.
In addition, 480 species of land, freshwater and coastal wildlife have been cleaned and returned safely to the wild as part of the recovery exercise.
Planning and Development Minister, Pennelope Beckles, stated these results to date are a testament to the dedication of all the organisations working together to ensure at the priority of a speedy recovery and clean-up in Tobago is a success.
This was revealed during a recent Ministerial tour of the affected coastal areas in Tobago organised by the Institute of Marine Affairs in close collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, the Environmental Management Authority, the Tobago House of Assembly ; the Tobago Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Planning and Development.
This tour also coincided with day 56 since the occurrence of the vessel’s grounding.