Concerned groups call for action regarding an oil tanker lying between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, as it may trigger an environmental disaster by causing an oil spill in the Caribbean.
Environmental Disaster Waiting to Occur
A growing concern is that a stranded oil tanker that carries oil may spill onto the sea in the area between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela and cause an environmental catastrophe.
The ship named Nabarima, which has a Venezuelan flag has not been moving from the Gulf of Paria since January of this year when the US imposed sanctions on the Venezuelan government and prohibited trade with the state oil corporation.
The foreign minister and energy minister of Trinidad & Tobago said that they tasked a team to visit the oil tanker, although, at the moment, officials from the country have not been reached.
Venezuelan activist environmental groups and politicians say that the tanker carries crude oil amounting to 1.3 million barrels. An oil spill will undoubtedly cause an unmitigated ecological disaster.
Concerned groups are calling for action regarding an oil tanker that is lying between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, as it may trigger an environmental disaster by causing an oil spill in the Caribbean.
READ: Old Oil Rigs: Would It Be So Bad to Leave Them in the Sea?
On March 24, 1989, an oil spill from Exxon Valdex was among the worst spills in history, with 11 million oil gallons released into an area twice Rhode Island's size.
Venezuela previously announced that the tanker is safe. However, politicians and environmental groups provided new pictures that show the ship is increasingly tilting.
The Clamor For a National Emergency
The FFOS or Fishermen & Friends of the Sea has now called for a national emergency declaration. FFOS is an environmental activist group of 50,000 Venezuelan fishermen.
The group visited the tanker last Friday; they shot a video of the ship's actual condition and posted it on Facebook. The video showed the ship in a tilting position as it is being suspended by chains connected to anchors.
According to FFOS corporate secretary Gary Aboud, if an incident occurs, such as bad weather or the tanker's flooding due to several reasons, they have no other recourse.
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Disaster Waiting to Happen
The tanker is owned jointly by PDVSA or Petroleos de Venezuela, an oil company of the government, and Italian oil company Eni. Both have not been available to comment.
Venezuelan National Assembly lawmakers called for the country to unload the oil immediately from the tanker to avoid any accident. They said that an oil spill risk has alarmingly increased.
According to the assembly's Environment Commission president María Gabriela Hernández Del Castillo, the ship's tides and weight has caused it to incline more than its state as reported last August.
Similarly, Trinidad & Tobago's US Embassy raised the same concerns and warned that an oil spill might negatively affect Venezuela and neighboring countries.
Venezuela in Denial
Previously, the Venezuelan government has denied that there were problems with the tanker. Venezuela oil company executive offshore director Pedro Figuera announced on Twitter last September that it complied with all operational and environmental standards.
No actions have been taken regarding the oil tanker, and a possible oil spill continues to endanger the seas of Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and the Caribbean.
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