Trinidad and Tobago: Oil Spill Sparks National Emergency

Facts

• Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Keith Rowley said on Sunday that an oil spill from a capsized ship — whose national origin and official designation remains unknown — off the nation's southernmost coast has caused a national emergency.¹
• The mystery vessel, visually identified as 'Gulfstream,' reportedly made no distress call before overturning on Wednesday. According to the Tobago Emergency Management Agency, there were no signs of life on the nearly 330-foot-long ship.²
• As of Saturday, around 15 kilometers (9 miles) of the coastline was covered in oil, prompting authorities to deploy buoy booms to limit the spill from spreading and dispatch divers to try to stop the leak amid health and tourism concerns.³
• Though the oil spill is currently Level 2 — meaning the country can adequately deal with the incident — the chief secretary of the island of Tobago has said that the government is likely to designate it a Level 3 disaster, the highest possible designation.⁴
• Meanwhile, a team of analysts from the Institute of Marine Affairs has collected oil samples and conducted ecological assessments of affected areas, including mangroves and beaches. It's expected to report initial findings to officials and provide advice on cleanup activities.⁵
• The island of Tobago is familiar with oil spill-related environmental disasters. The fifth-largest oil spill on record took place 18 kilometers off its east coast more than four decades ago.⁶

Sources: ¹The Hill, ²CBS News, ³CNN, ⁴BBC News, ⁵Trinidad and Tobago Newsday and ⁶Trinidad and Tobago Weather Center.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Time. The international community is fully aware of the drastic situation that Trinidad and Tobago has been experiencing as a consequence of this large oil drill, especially regarding the costs of responding to this incident and the subsequent cleanup. Many countries have already offered support to the dual-island nation and talks are ongoing.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Common Dreams. It's certain that this oil spill has, unlike hundreds of others off Trinidad and Tobago's coast over the past years, attracted at least some international attention, but it is simply isn't enough. The international community must be ready to substantially support the Caribbean country, and those responsible must be held accountable.

Predictions