Spilled Oil Returning to Venezuela After Vessel Capsizes

Recently, illicitly obtained oil originating from Venezuela has begun its return journey home, albeit in a concerning manner - as a 170 km long oil slick.

On the morning of February 7th, local authorities observed an oil slick emanating from a capsized vessel off the western coast of Tobago. Swiftly, the slick reached the southwest shoreline of the Caribbean island, prompting a national emergency declaration and mobilizing thousands of volunteers for the ensuing cleanup efforts.

After extensive examination, the coast guard confirmed on Wednesday that the vessel in question was an unpowered fuel barge, being towed to Guyana by a 1976-built tug named Solo Creed, registered in Tanzania. According to Bellingcat, a Dutch data journalism organization, the barge, identified as Gulfstream, is 48 years old and both the tug and barge are under Panamanian ownership. They have a history of transporting Venezuelan oil, with TankerTrackers.com verifying that the tug and barge loaded up to 35,000 barrels of oil from Venezuela at the end of the previous month, destined for Guyana, before encountering difficulties off Tobago.

The current location and ownership status of the tug remain unknown, while oil continues to spill from the barge, expanding the slick to a length of 170 km and encroaching into Grenada's territorial waters. Despite extensive efforts to contain it with booms placed around the wreck, the slick is anticipated to enter Venezuelan waters shortly.

Farley Augustine, the chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, addressing reporters yesterday stated: "We are unable to stop the leak, and without information regarding the amount of fuel in the barge or its exact contents, we are limited to containment and skimming."