Authorities are dealing with a big spill of fuel oil in the Caribbean after an accident involving an articulated tug and barge.
Trinidad & Tobago has declared a national emergency after the barge capsized on 7 February.
The government has now identified the barge as the Gulfstream and said it was being towed by a tug called the Solo Creed, registered in Tanzania.
The identities of the vessels involved were unknown for more than a week. The slick is spreading off Tobago’s southwest coast.
The national security ministry said the tug and barge were heading to Guyana at the time.
TankerTrackers said the Gulfstream was seen in Pozuelo Bay, Venezuela during the entire final week of January.
“She may have been carrying as much as 35,000 barrels of fuel oil. We’re seeing more barges lately from shore,” the company said.
The Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard is investigating, in collaboration with the Guyana Coast Guard.
“The Guyanese authorities have confirmed that neither vessel arrived as anticipated. At this stage, it is not known whether any lives have been lost in the incident,” the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard said.
Slick spreading
In recent days, a spill of black oily deposits was identified in the waters spreading from the Scarborough area to the Lowlands of Tobago, posing a serious threat to its biodiversity, it added.
The 38-metre tug is operating out of Panama, according to the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard.
Satellite imagery showed the Solo Creed towing an object on 4 February.
Dutch authorities in Aruba later provided images of the tug towing the barge.
The ownership of the tug is not known.
The slick is now entering Grenadan waters and could affect Venezuela, the Guardian reported.
