Energy ministry to engage Florida company to help with oil spill cleanup

Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine at La Brea Sunday with workers cleaning up the oil spill

Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine on Sunday activated the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) to the Tier 3 Level, the highest level. 

This means that the  inistry will bring in resources from overseas to deal with the oil spills in Trinidad.

In a media release the energy ministry said "based on an assessment of oil spill clean-up activities along the coastal areas including Carrat Shed, Station Bay, Patience, Granville, Fullaton and Cedros beaches" the minister has instructed that Petrotrin engage a Tier 3 Oil Spill Response Organization, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), which is based in Fort Lauderdale. 

It is expected that representatives from this organization will be in the country Monday, the release stated. Oil Spill Response Limited is one of the world’s largest oil spill response companies, the ministry said.

Minister Ramnarine and Petrotrin President Khalid Hassanali examine the spill at Coffee Beach Sunday. 

Background:

1. On December 17, 2013, a weld leak was discovered on the No. 10 Sea Line at the Petrotrin, Pointe-a-Pierre Port during fuel oil bunkers loading operations for the barge Marabella
2. Later that same day a gasket on a line of Riser Platform 5 in Trinmar’s Main Field leaked and oil spilled into the sea
3. On December 18, Petrotrin received reports of oil at the Coffee Beach/Carrat Shed Beach areas in La Brea, affecting the beach and fishing vessels
4. The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) was triggered to the Tier Two Level and an Incident Command Team, comprising the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs (MEEA), the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), the Coast Guard and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), began its assessment of the spill and clean-up activities
5. On December 19, an oil leak was discovered in the area of Platform 17 in Petrotrin’s Trinmar Operations East Field
6. On December 21, Trinity Oil and Gas reported that several valves on wellsite tanks were discovered opened at its Petrotrin WD-2 Lease Operatorship Block in Rancho Quemado
7. The spills that occurred at Pointe-a-Pierre, Riser Platform 5 and Platform 17 in Petrotrin’s Trinmar Operations were successfully contained and the clean-up exercise is continuing. On December 19, clean-up activities at the Port at Pointe-a-Pierre were completed and terminated
8. On December 22, the Minister of Energy triggered the NOSCP at the Tier Three Level to bring in overseas resources