Dead fishes are floating in the water around the northwestern peninsula of Trinidad following an oil slick off Chaguaramas. Up to late yesterday, scores of dead fishes were spotted off Scotland Bay. Dozens of fishermen and yachties also complained that their vessels were being contaminated with oil. Businessman Marc Ramlal, who spent the Carnival weekend down the islands, said he first saw the oil floating on Carnival Sunday.
“On that day we went out to Island Homeowners, that is the last marina and it is next to CL Marine Ltd, commonly known as Caridoc. On the way in, I noticed a boat making circles in the vicinity of the marina. Another boat was spraying chemicals in the water. There was oil all over in the docking area,” Ramlal said. On returning from Gasparee Islands, Ramlal said, he noticed oil on the sides, fenders, bumpers, ropes and mooring lines of his boat named Top Speed Tuna.
“It was thick and was stuck right around the boat. I then realised there were other vessels with the same problems,” Ramlal said. Fishermen from the north also complained that dead angel fishes were seen floating off the coast. Another boat owner, Dayne La Chapelle, said his 34-foot pirogue named Smile and Wave was also stained by the oil.
“About 30 or 40 boats got affected by the oil spill. It is not nice what is happening to the environment and nobody seems to care,” La Chapelle said. He said a boat was brought in to be repaired and the engine began spilling oil into the ocean.
Catastrophic
Contacted yesterday, secretary of the environmental lobby group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea, Gary Aboud, said the impact of the spill was catastrophic.
“Thousands of people are affected by this. It seems that companies can continue to function in a careless manner without any action. The EMA does not have jurisdiction over their operational standards. They have no legal jurisdiction to shut down operations and this has to be changed. We need proper legislation to give teeth to the EMA,” Aboud said. He urged the EMA to investigate the cause of the spill.
“All of Chaguaramas is affected. Thousands of yachties, and boat owners are affected. All the boat men who work down the islands are affected. The recreational homes, all holiday goers, those locals who go on cruises and most importantly, the fisher folk, fishes and the entire eco-system are affected,” Aboud added.
Immediate investigation
Contacted yesterday, Environment and Water Resource Minister Ganga Singh said he was unaware of the oil spill. However, he said, he would contact the EMA and launch an investigation immediately. Efforts to contact officials of Caribbean Dockyard and Engineering Services Ltd, where the spill was spotted, proved futile. A security guard who answered took this reporter’s contact number but said there was no one present to comment.
EMA’s chairman Dr Allan Bachan also could not be reached for comment yesterday.