On Tuesday, first responders and volunteers from Trinidad and Tobago worked to clean up the affected areas of the island nation’s coast to control an oil spill that was discovered in the waters of the Caribbean nation last week.
In a press conference on Sunday, Farley Augustine, the chief secretary of Tobago’s national assembly, stated that the spill was initially discovered by the coast guard of Trinidad and Tobago on February 7, roughly 6 kilometres off the coast of Studley Park.
Barriers have been erected to protect the Scarborough port in Tobago, which is frequented by cruise ships, particularly during peak travel seasons like the current Carnival, and to contain the spill, which earlier this week had already spread in a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) queue.
According to officials and media reports, first responders have been concentrating on containing the spill as tides change, safeguarding the surrounding areas, cleaning beaches, sending out divers, isolating toxic material, and evaluating its impact on wildlife.
Prime Minister Keith Rowley declared on Sunday that there was a “national emergency” in Trinidad and Tobago, citing a vessel that had overturned and come into contact with a reef along the coast, which resulted in the spill.
Without providing more details, officials said they have identified the ship as “the Gulfstream” and cited divers who saw the name on the side of the allegedly spill-causing craft.
