CARACAS — Venezuela’s interim government on Friday demanded full accountability from Trinidad and Tobago over a second oil spill in two months, warning that satellite imagery shows the latest incident surpasses an earlier disaster that fouled hundreds of square miles of shared waters.
In a statement, Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said images captured this week confirm crude oil drifting toward Venezuelan coastline in the Gulf of Paria — the same body of water hit by a May spill that Caracas said affected roughly 647 square miles. The ministry said it reserves the right to pursue action before international bodies “to determine responsibility, seek appropriate compensation and prevent repetition.”
The May incident, which Trinidad and Tobago described as a minor spill of approximately 10 barrels at the offshore Main Soldado field, drew sharp criticism from Caracas. Venezuelan authorities said it caused “serious environmental damage” to four national parks, 12 strategic wetland systems, 140 marine species, and the livelihoods of roughly 500 artisanal fishermen.
Trinidad and Tobago Launches Investigation
Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal said Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Energy, Heritage Petroleum, and the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard launched a joint operation Friday to determine the source and nature of the substance detected near the coastline.
“We are coordinating a joint operation to establish the facts,” Moonilal said in a statement carried by Caribbean news outlet CNW. “We have deployed vessels and drones to conduct reconnaissance activities. We have received a report from our Venezuelan counterparts and are urgently investigating the matter.”
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the Caribbean’s leading energy producers, with extensive oil and natural gas operations both onshore and in shallow offshore waters. The two countries share several offshore energy resources in the Gulf of Paria and surrounding maritime areas — a geography that has repeatedly placed them in joint environmental risk.
Diplomatic Ratchets Up
The new spill threatens to further strain ties already frayed by the May incident. Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry called on Port of Spain to provide “full transparency regarding the structural causes, actual scope and direct consequences” of the spill, and to establish permanent operational safeguards against future incidents.
Regional environmental groups warned that repeated spills in the Gulf of Paria could have compounding effects on marine biodiversity and coastal economies on both sides of the maritime border. The area is home to extensive mangrove systems and supports significant fishing communities on each nation’s coastline.
Caracas has not yet specified which international forum it would approach, but the statement suggested potential action before bodies handling environmental liability and cross-border pollution disputes.