The Venezuelan government claims a second, much larger oil spill originating from Trinidad and Tobago has contaminated Venezuelan waters.
It is now demanding that T&T’s government take responsibility for the spill.
A Communique issued by the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs this morning noted that the second spill had been allegedly confirmed by satellite imagery and that it surpasses the magnitude of the oil spill reported by the Venezuelan government in May.
The release said that the spill poses a risk to marine ecosystems, fishing activity and coastal communities. In response, it said Venezuelan State Agencies were monitoring the situation and have activated mitigation protocols.
The release called for the T&T government to adopt immediate measures to prevent further incidents and to be transparent about the cause, scope and consequence of the spill.
“Furthermore, it reserves the right to take appropriate action before the competent international bodies to determine responsibility, demand any applicable compensation, and prevent the recurrence of similar events. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the protection of the environment, life, and the defense of its marine spaces,” it said.
Minister of Energy Roodal Moonilal told the Express this morning that his Ministry was aware of the release.
He said Heritage Petroleum, the air and coast guard have been deployed to do reconnaissance work on sea and with drones to determine the facts. He added that he was in constant communication with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers, who had engaged the Venezuelan Embassy in Port of Spain.
“We have requested from our Venezuelan counterparts the coordinates for this purported spill,’ he said.
In May, the Venezuelan government notified the international community of an oil spill in the Gulf of Paria originating from Trinidad and Tobago that it claimed carried severe risks to mangroves, wetlands, marine fauna, and strategic hydrobiological resources for food security and the ecological balance of the region.
“The Bolivarian Government has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately request all pertinent information regarding this incident, as well as the corresponding action plan for mitigating and containing the spill,” it had said.
Before engaging in talks with the country, it deployed a team of experts to the impacted areas including environmental specialists, biologists and risk monitoring personnel to the area, according to Venezuela’s Minister of ecosocialism, Freddy Nañez.
Moonilal at that time said the spill was considered a “small” one, and was swiftly contained. He said the spill originated in local waters on May 1.
Moonilal said that the incident had been dealt with in 48 hours, and that the affected pipeline was being repaired and returned to service. He said that all clean up operations occurred within local waters and the protocols had been observed. He also said that the government had received no communication from the Venezuelan government on the issue.
‘We take their concerns very seriously and await further information,’ Moonilal had said.
Trinidad Express
