– as oil tanker sinks near TT and Venezuela
Guyana’s Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Authority (CDEMA) are closely monitoring a potential oil spill from an oil tanker anchored between Venezuela and Trinidad which is currently sinking.
The FSO Nabarima, an oil tanker with 1.3 million barrels of crude oil, is sinking in the Gulf of Paria between Venezuela and Trinidad, and can impact the ecological systems of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago almost immediately.
“The impact of the spill can also affect other countries within the hemisphere,” the CDC confirmed in a release on Tuesday. “Should the need arise, the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) will be activated and the committee will be tasked with conducting analysis, assessments and necessary response measures to mitigate any adverse effect on Guyana.”
The barrels of crude amount to approximately 55 million gallons of crude which can harm living things because of poisonous chemical constituents; can cause some birds to die of hypothermia when heavy oils get onto their feathers; and can affect plant life in the area. Guyana has long-held concerns about the possible effect an oil spill could have on its marine resources such as critically endangered sea turtles as well as Guyanese and Amerindian communities reliant on ecosystem services for sustenance and their livelihood.
Some contend that the FSO Nabarima has been in a state of disrepair since 2019 following United States (U.S.) sanctions on Maduro’s government which scared away potential buyers of the country’s heavy crude.
Given Guyana’s rapidly developing oil and gas industry, the NOSCP was developed to ensure that the country is prepared to deal with an oil spill through mechanisms that would protect Guyana’s land and sea resources.
Guyana’s NOSCP was handed over to Prime Minister, Mark Phillips earlier this month having been completed. It involved the input of key stakeholders including the Maritime Administrative Department (MARAD), Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy (DE), Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the CDC.
Meanwhile, the CDC and CDEMA have promised to keep the public updated on the situation as it unfolds even as some experts believe that “an ecological disaster is looming”. Fishing and sea-going vessels are urged to be on the lookout for any sighting of oil spills and to report immediately to MARAD Georgetown Lighthouse on telephone number 226-9871.
