No coverup at Petrotrin; cleanup cost $20M

State-owned energy company Petrotrin said in a media release Thursday staed there is no cover up in relation to several oil spills that occurred in December last year. It said its investigations are continuing and promised to make the findings public.

 

"There is no cover-up. However, Petrotrin is following best practice in its investigative procedure which dictates speed without compromising natural justice principles," the release stated. 

 

"Petrotrin knows the public wants as much information as possible and we continue to do our best to share all the information gathered so that the public can understand the incident and its impacts. We acknowledge the many questions the public is asking. However, answers must await the outcome of the investigation now underway," the company added.

The first spill occurred on the company's No. 10 Sealine at Pointe-a-Pierre on December 17, 2013, causing oil to leak into the Gulf of Paria. 

 

A report done by the company in October had identified that line as "high risk". Industry sources say that label means the company had not conducted inspections of the line for two years. The details of this report have been circulated by the Oilfield Workers Trade Union to opposition leader Keith Rowley and Independent Liberal Party leader Jack Warner.

 

In its release the company stated: "It has been brought to our attention that certain Petrotrin documents are being circulated in the public domain. Petrotrin believes that its management is in a better position to explain and clarify the implications of such documents...

“We have committed extraordinary resources to mitigate the economic and environmental impacts. We plan to ensure that we use the lessons learnt from this incident to enhance energy exploration and production and make the process safer and more reliable for everyone."

Minister of Energy Kevin Ramnarine told reporters Thursday the cleanup has cost about $20 million. Speaking at the post cabinet media briefing, the minister said about $2.6 million was paid in compensation to people affected by the spills. 

One of several beaches that have been restored to normalcy

He said Petrotrin continues to address the concerns of the people in the area and is working to clean up all the beaches.
 

The foreign company hired to do the clean up has now reduced the number of personnel on the ground, he said. He explained that this is because the clean-up is near completion with only lighter work left to be done.

Ramnarine told reporters who asked about Rowley's call for his resignation and that of the Petrotrin board that Rowley and the head of the OWTU should forward to the relevant authorities "all information and documents" they about negligence or criminal conduct.