The Ministry of Planning and Development has revealed that over 51,000 barrels of liquid waste and more than 21,000 cubic yards of solid waste have been removed to date from coastal areas in Tobago affected by the February 7th grounding of the vessel “Gulfstream” in the vicinity of Cove Reef, 200 metres off the shoreline of Cove Bay.

In addition, 480 individual species of land, freshwater and coastal wildlife have been cleaned and returned safely to the wild as part of the recovery exercise. Planning and Development Minister Pennelope Beckles stated that these results to date are a testament to the dedication of all the organisations working together to ensure that the priority of a speedy recovery and clean-up in Tobago is a success.

This was revealed during a recent Ministerial tour of the affected coastal areas in Tobago organised by the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI), the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), the Tobago House of Assembly (THA); the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Ministry of Planning and Development. This tour also coincided with day 56 since the occurrence of the vessel’s grounding.

Minister of Planning and Development, Pennelope Beckles, Tobago West MP and Minister of Sport and Community Development, the Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine joined technocrats of the collaborating agencies, IMA, EMA, the THA and TEMA to review the progress of clean-up and recovery exercises to date.

IMA Director Dr. Ava Maxam and the Director for the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development, Mr. Linford Beckles, were among the technocrats making presentations to the Ministers and their technical officers.

Permanent Secretary Ms. Aarti Bedassie-Maharaj and Deputy Permanent Secretary Ms. Melanie Noel of the Ministry of Planning and Development; Deputy Permanent Secretary (Ag.) Marc Rudder of the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries; the President of the All Tobago Fisherfolk, Mr. Curtis Douglas; Mr. Siddeeq Ali of Serpentarium; technical officials from the THA’s Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development; and the waste transformation organisation Habitat for Aquatic Life and Ocean Systems (HALOS) representative, Ms. Denyse Montrose, participated in the activity.

This Ministerial visit allowed key Government officials to hear first-hand, the successes of collaborative efforts from the key responders and the holistic approach employed to address the oil spill. There were five areas of focus:

Salvage operations – Commencement of operations to pump oil safely off the vessel

“Gulfstream” grounded at Cove Bay and to extract oil for fingerprinting analysis.
Ecosystem vulnerability – Visit to the impacted, eco-sensitive site, Petit Trou mangrove wetland and discussion on the importance of marine management for disaster preparedness.
Oiled wildlife response – Rescue of animals in contact with the oil, by the Serpentarium located at the command centre in Lambeau.

Marine food security – Open discussions with fisherfolk temporarily located at the Shaw Park Food Hub on sustaining their livelihoods, as well as facilitating fish sampling and analysis for food quality assurance. And,

Waste remediation – A visit to the Studley Park Landfill with discussions on oil waste management and plans for waste transformation and remediation.

Praising the dedication of the men and women actively involved in the clean-up and recovery efforts, Minister Beckles-Robinson, Minister Cudjoe-Lewis and Chief Secretary Augustine noted that the strategic partnership of all the agencies involved and the inclusion of the communities was among the key factors in the success of the clean-up activities to date.

Minister Cudjoe-Lewis went on to add that cooperation has also been forthcoming from the Guyana Coast Guard and the Government of Grenada. Minister Beckles also gave her commitment of the continued support of the agencies which she has oversight, namely the IMA and the EMA. They all thanked the agencies on the ground as well as the private sector, schools, individuals across Trinidad and Tobago and all who have contributed in some way to support recovery and remediation efforts.

The Institute of Marine Affairs, with the support of the Ministry of Planning and Development will continue working to monitor affected wetlands and nearshore ecosystems as well as the fisheries to support ecosystem resilience, livelihoods and food security on the island of Tobago