Another unreported oil spill at Petrotrin
Dear Editor/ Newsroom,
Since 19th July 2018, there has been an oil spill at Petrotrin’s Point-a-Pierre Oil Refinery nearby the foreshore area. It is believed Tank 114 has erupted spilling oil, which remains (up to today) contaminating Petrotrin’s Tank Farm.
According to the Tank Integrity Assessment for Petrotrin, 2003 Report, Tank 114 which was constructed in 1960, has a capacity of 250,000 barrels of fuel oil. The Report further states that the last time Tank 114 was last serviced was in 1969 and that it contains Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) a toxic compound.
Fishermen and Friends of the Sea questions:
- Why wasn’t this oil spill reported to the public?
- What is the volume of crude oil that was spilled?
- What risks does this oil spill pose to the oil field workers working in the tank farm?
- Has the spilled oil been contained?
- What is the cause for Tank 114 erupting?
- What measures and dispersants are being used to clean up the spilled oil?
- Will this oil spill enter our waterways and our Gulf of Paria, as it is located on the foreshore?
- Has Tank 114 been serviced since 1969?
- Why hasn’t this oil spill been cleaned up?
The Trinidad and Tobago Extractive Industries Transparency Institute (TTEITI) 2016 Report stated that in 2016, there were 51 reported onshore and offshore oil spills and that this figure doubled to 104 reported oil spills in 2017.
What is Petrotrin’s agenda in managing its environmental disasters? Why is there no legislation to command that volumes of spilt hydrocarbon are verified by an independent entity? What is Petrotrin’s planned schedule of maintenance for its beleaguered, dilapidated and dangerous infrastructure?
Sincerely,
Gary Aboud
Corporate Secretary
Fishermen and Friends of the Sea