Authorities probe possible oil spill off Trinidad coast as Venezuela raises alarm
Key Points(5)
- Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating a possible oil spill off the nation’s coast after reports and video footage emerged on Friday, while Venezuela says satellite data suggests the spill may already be affecting regional waters.
- Roodal Moonilal said the Ministry of Energy, Heritage Petroleum, and the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard have launched a joint operation to determine the source and nature of the substance spotted near the waterfront.
- “We are coordinating a joint activity to ascertain the facts,” Moonilal said.
- “We have deployed sea vessels and drones to conduct reconnaissance.
- We have received a report from our Venezuelan counterparts and are urgently investigating.” He added that officials are in contact with the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs as part of the regional response effort.
Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating a possible oil spill off the nation’s coast after reports and video footage emerged on Friday, while Venezuela says satellite data suggests the spill may already be affecting regional waters.
Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal said the Ministry of Energy, Heritage Petroleum, and the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard have launched a joint operation to determine the source and nature of the substance spotted near the waterfront.
“We are coordinating a joint activity to ascertain the facts,” Moonilal said. “We have deployed sea vessels and drones to conduct reconnaissance. We have received a report from our Venezuelan counterparts and are urgently investigating.”
He added that officials are in contact with the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs as part of the regional response effort.
The development has quickly escalated into a cross-border environmental concern after Venezuela’s government said on Friday that an oil spill originating near Trinidad and Tobago could be drifting toward its coastline and threatening fishing grounds and marine ecosystems.
In a statement reported by Reuters, Venezuela said satellite imagery confirmed the spill and suggested it was larger than a previous incident in May.
“This event exceeds in magnitude the one that occurred in May and confirms the drift of pollutants toward Venezuelan waters,” the Venezuelan government said, warning that the spill could put fishing communities and the environment at risk.
Caracas did not provide detailed estimates of the spill but said the movement of pollutants into the Gulf of Paria raised urgent concerns for coastal communities on both sides of the maritime boundary.
Moonilal acknowledged that, if confirmed as oil, the substance could drift across into Venezuelan waters depending on sea conditions and currents, underscoring the regional nature of the incident.
Investigations are continuing as authorities attempt to confirm the source, scale, and trajectory of the substance. Officials have not yet confirmed whether the material is crude oil or another hydrocarbon product.
