Guyana preparing against possible oil spills – Trotman

Although Guyana is poised to become a large oil-producing nation by mid-2020, experts have advised Government to make all the necessary preparations from now, so as to prepare the industry to become safe and efficient. One such piece of advice concerns making preparations to prevent an oil spill.

As such, Government has taken the advice and is moving ahead with these preparations. Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has disclosed that this process has started with several major governmental agencies that would come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with any such issues.
Trotman revealed that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) is the lead agency that is formulating the national response plan. But the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) are also assisting.
In addition to that, Guyana will receive assistance through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). But most importantly, Guyana will also receive assistance from the United States Government through the Energy Governance Capacity Initiative.
Although US oil giant ExxonMobil has not made any commitment to cover the cost for any possible oil spill, Trotman claimed that the company has a responsibility to prevent accidents and to respond to any such incidents that put Guyana at risk or that proves dangerous.
However, just last week, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said Guyana was currently unprepared for the possibility of an oil spill the likes of which was currently afflicting neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, but the Administration was acutely aware of its shortcomings and was actively working with partners.
“I would not say that we are ready; we are not ready for that as yet, but I believe we are in the process of acquiring sufficient information that will (enable us) to put processes and structures in place to deal with the eventuality of an oil spill,” Harmon had told media operatives.
Speaking to Guyana’s drive to become prepared for the eventuality of an oil spill, Harmon drew reference to an upcoming conference at which the Director of the Department of the Environment would be participating, and said “these are some of the issues being dealt with”.
According to the Minister of State, “We are still in the early stages of preparation. We have been getting the advice of best practices from countries around the world.” He told the press that oil spills were the result of accidents, and as such, “it is the way how you prepare for these accidents that are important”.
According to Minister Harmon, the Department will be using the caucus to focus on the processes, and it was going to look at the processes for dealing with oil and the environment. He said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was gearing up for that and gave his assurance that there would be increased focus on environmental protection as 2020 neared.
Environmental activist Annette Arjune-Martins has, in recent weeks, been at the forefront of questioning the absence of, and calling for, policy/policies related to oil and its impact on the environment.
Questioned on the need for a single person to be identified for singular responsibility for the sector, Minister Harmon pointed out that the Natural Resources Ministry was responsible for all of the country’s natural resources, including oil and gas.
Harmon said that an environmental study undertaken by the EPA has found there was a 10 per cent likelihood of an oil spill occurring offshore Guyana, as part of the ExxonMobil exploration activities, reaching shore. The report concluded that an oil spill was possible.
Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has conducted oil spill modelling to evaluate the range of likely spill trajectories and rates of travel.
The location of the project at 190 kilometres (120 miles) offshore, prevailing northwest currents, the light nature of the Liza field crude oil, and the region’s warm waters would all help minimise the severity of a spill.