Salvage Company T&T to Retrieve Sunken Oil Barge in Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has hired two cleanup and salvage companies to address an ongoing oil spill off Tobago’s Atlantic coast, which occurred after a barge ran aground on a reef almost two weeks ago. The spill has spread into the Caribbean Sea, posing a threat to nearby Venezuela and Grenada, and is negatively impacting tourism and fishing in Tobago. The hired companies, T&T Salvage LLC and QT Environmental Inc, are licensed oil spill cleanup organizations and will be responsible for on-water oil recovery and wreck removal.

The barge, which was carrying up to 35,000 barrels of fuel oil and being towed from Panama to Guyana via Aruba at the time of the incident, has led the Trinidad and Tobago government to seek the identification of its owners and to send diplomatic notes to the governments of Panama, Aruba, and Guyana. The nearby Scarborough cruise port is currently protected from the spill by containment barriers, but several beach and golf resorts popular with foreign tourists in Tobago do not have sea access. The government is taking action to address the environmental impact and ensure the recovery and cleanup efforts are handled efficiently.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Energy Ministry confirmed its collaboration with the two organizations and stated their plans for oil recovery, investigation, and cargo lightening. The ongoing efforts reflect the severity of the situation and the government’s commitment to containing and resolving the oil spill to minimize its impact on the environment and local industries.

Source .