National oil spill contingency plan needed – conservationist

– as concerns expressed about stage of Guyana’s preparations

Trinidad and Tobago, a country with decades of experience in oil production, was recently hit by an oil spill. In Guyana, where preparations are ongoing for oil production by 2020, those involved in conservation are less than impressed with Guyana’s plans so far.

According to noted conservationist, Annette Arjoon-Martins, much more remains to be done before Guyana can truly be protected from the effects of an oil spill. In an interview with this publication, the environmental protection advocate expressed concern at Guyana’s state of preparedness for an oil spill.
“First of all, they don’t have a national oil spill contingency plan. Of course, the argument can be made that we have time. But my position is we need to have the capacity in advance of the production starting.”
“(So we) have to have a team of knowledgeable and capable people to respond and I would like to see that (arranged),” Arjoon-Martins added.
According to a news report in the Trinidad Guardian, the country’s Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) had to procure two companies to commence the clean-up of the oily substance on the shoreline and waters in the Chaguaramas area.
The Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA), which has responsibility for the peninsula, had also started clean-up activities of its impacted assets. On the other hand, the Zoological Society of T&T is actively searching for adversely affected wildlife for rescue and rehabilitation.
But the oil has spread to the South East in the Gulf of Paria and Cocorite. Warnings have been issued to mariners in Charlieville, Felicity, Brick Field, Orange Valley, Carli Bay and Claxton Bay.
The oil spill is being described by persons in Trinidad as a national disaster. Environmentalists have referred to the spill as a serious threat to marine and terrestrial ecosystems and pictures of animals coated in oil bear testimony to this fact.

In Guyana
Guyana’s last taste of an environmental disaster was a cyanide spill in 1995. In gold mining, cyanide is used as an extracting agent for the ore. In the case of Guyana’s cyanide spill, the highly poisonous material spilled out of a reservoir into the Essequibo River.
Since Exxon announced its oil find in the Liza-1 well in 2015, a pertinent question has been the capacity of the relevant agencies to protect the environment in case of an oil spill. It is a topic that has regularly been raised at public lectures.
Last year, President David Granger commissioned Guyana’s first oil spill response operation service at the Gaico Wharf at Nismes, West Bank Demerara. Gaico Oil Spill Response Operation Services, which was coined by Komal Singh, was set up as a pre-emptive measure against probable spillage once production commence in the future.
The Gaico Company began in 1991, with Singh working on small construction projects in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). At the commissioning, Singh had stated that he had noticed that there are a number of near misses of oil spills and decided to pursue the avenue of preparing for one in Guyana.
He said that the company has since invested in a supply boat to work alongside rigs and supply them with fuel and cargo, while preparing for any occurrence of an oil spill.
“Should there be a spill anywhere we can respond within 24 hours,” he said, adding that the company is in the process of putting together documents to gain approval for an oil spill facility which will collect the contaminated soil and process it.
The businessman also said that he had recognised that Guyana was not prepared for any oil spills, thus “Guyana can rest assure that there is a company here today that will invest in to protect our land, our coastline, our birds, our mangroves, and all Guyana.”
On the side of the Government, it is understood that efforts have been underway to train and build capacity in the Natural Resources Ministry.
A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had found that while an oil spill was possible, factors such as the location of ExxonMobil affiliates’ operations, combined with the Region’s water temperature would minimise the effects.