Incident in Trinidad and Tobago – IOPC Funds conducts fact-finding visit

Upturned barge “Gulfstream” located close offshore at Canoe Bay, Tobago.

Following a recent oil pollution incident in Trinidad and Tobago, IOPC Funds’ Deputy Director and Head of Claims, Liliana Monsalve, and Claims Manager, Mark Homan, conducted a fact-finding mission to the 1992 Fund Member State from 18 to 22 March 2024.

During the visit, they met with senior officials from the Ministry of Energy, the Coastguard, Ministry of National Security, the Attorney General, and the Legal Service.  They spoke with experts involved in the response and attended the sites impacted by the pollution.

Following the occurrence of the incident in February, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) triggered the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan to manage the response to the spill, which has so far polluted some 15km of the coastline of Tobago.

The IOPC Funds will continue to monitor developments and report the findings from this visit to the 1992 Fund Executive Committee at its session during the week of 29 April.