(Trinidad Express) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has volunteered his country’s resources to help mitigate the oil spill impacting Tobago’s southwestern coast as the toxic slick continues to float towards neighbouring territories.
Caracas-based news network Telesur reported that Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yvan Gil, announced that his country is willing to collaborate with Trinidad and Tobago in clean-up and control efforts, as well as ecological impact assessment.
“We are at the disposal of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to co-operate in whatever is required,” Gil said in the Telesur story yesterday.
The story said that “following the instructions of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan officials are monitoring the oil spill, which began a week ago…”.
The oil spill was brought to the attention of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) last Wednesday, and according to the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), the oil slick measures 48 nautical miles (88 kilometres) long and 0.13 nautical miles (240 metres) wide.
Government is scheduled to make a comprehensive statement in the House of Representatives today on the oil spill situation and the response thus far, covering all the various elements that are being deployed, including regional and international contacts that are under way.
So said Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Amery Browne yesterday.
Browne declined to say more.
But the Express understands that there has been thus far no correspondence or diplomatic note in respect of co-operation between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela to control the oil spill, and no official offer has been extended to Trinidad and Tobago for assistance from Venezuela.
Environmental NGO (non-governmental organisation) Friends and Fishermen of the Sea (FFOS) yesterday again called on the Government to act with greater urgency to contain the spill and prevent further leakage.
