Fuel from an overturned and abandoned barge continues to spill, staining Tobago’s coastline and now seeping into Grenada’s waters, with potential implications for neighbouring Venezuela.
Despite efforts to contain the leak, the stain has spread about 144km into the Caribbean Sea over eight days.
Tobago’s chief secretary, Farley Augustine, reported the spill’s entry into Grenada’s territorial waters following an aerial assessment.
While a containment perimeter has been established, fuel leakage persists without a viable solution due to uncertainty regarding the barge’s contents and quantity. Satellite imagery depicts the extensive damage along Tobago’s coast, prompting regional concerns and investigations involving Grenada, Panama, Aruba, Guyana, and Caricom.
The barge triggered a national emergency, prompting a large-scale cleanup operation.
Venezuela is closely monitoring the situation and collaborating with Trinidad’s government. The whereabouts of the tugboat and its owner remain unknown, aggravating public outrage.
Augustine urges the barge’s owner to take responsibility for the cleanup efforts.
Source: The Guardian
