Americas News
Petrotrin: 1,000+ Barrels of Bunker Fuel Removed After Spill
Trinidad and Tobago state-owned oil company Petrotrin says it has spent TTD8 million ($1.2 million) and collected 1,100 to 1,200 barrels of bunker fuel from the La Brea coastline after a spill last month, The Trinidad & Tobago Guardian reports.
"It is going to be a lot more spending but when it is done we will say this is what it cost," said company chairman Lindsay Gillette.
"We are not sparing anything, we are going to spend whatever is required to make sure this thing goes away."
Gillette also confirmed that there were 11 spills contributing to the contamination but said there is "strong evidence" of sabotage causing at least some of the leaks, according to another report on the news site Caribbean 360.
He said two of the facilities involved in the leaks do not support "any sort of negligence at all."
"Two of the plugs were removed and you would a very large wrench to remove that plug physically for that oil to flow," he said.
"We will do all in our power to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice."
The company and government regulators have come under fire from opposition party leaders and the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) for their handling of the spill.
Opposition leader Keith Rowley called the spill "nothing short of an ecological disaster, which, from the onset, has been downplayed by the relevant authorities."
"So far all the assessments of the scale, time and projected costs from Petrotrin have been worthless and misleading, resulting in a loss of confidence in the final outcome under the current approach," he said.
Local residents have blocked cleanup efforts in some La Brea areas in protests demanding permanent relocation and treatment for medical problems caused by pollution, the Trinidad Express reports.
A contractor working on the spill said last week that it may take three months to clean up.
