Trinidad and Tobago facing 'national emergency' after major coastal oil spill

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Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister said a large oil spill near the twin-island nation in the eastern Caribbean has caused a "national emergency" as crews struggled to contain the oil already coating numerous beaches on Tobago’s southwest coast.

The government has yet to identify the owner of the vessel that overturned near Tobago last week, Prime Minister Keith Rowley said Sunday.

It was not immediately clear how much oil had spilled and how much remained in the largely submerged vessel. It was not clear what caused the vessel to overturn.

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Divers have not been able to contain the leak and are trying to determine how to remove the remaining oil, said Farley Augustine, chief secretary of Tobago’s House of Assembly, who toured the area with the prime minister.

Workers tend to the aftermath of a large oil spill on Feb. 11, 2024, at Rockly Bay beach in Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago. (AP Photo/Akash Boodan)

Tobago is a popular tourist destination. Officials worried about the spill’s impact. There was no immediate comment from environmental watchdogs.

Rowley said it’s too early to know how much the cleanup will cost but said "some not-so-insignificant costs are being incurred just to respond to this incident."

He said several unidentified countries have offered to help, and discussions about those efforts are ongoing.

"Cleaning and restoration can only seriously begin after we have brought the situation under control," he said. "Right now, the situation is not under control. But it appears to be under sufficient control that we think we can manage."

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Rowley said that for now, good weather is helping response efforts.