PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 17.Feb.2025) — Trinidad and Tobago reported 250 oil spills between Jan.-Oct. 2024 and between 2016 and Oct. 2024 the twin-island nation experienced a total of 1,592 oil spills, with 73.68% transpiring on land.
The areas most affected onshore were Forest Reserve/Fyzabad, Los Bajos/Palo Seco/ Santa Flora, and Grand Ravine/Guapo/Pt Fortin/Cedros/Icacos, according to details revealed last week in the Trinidad and Tobago Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (TTEITI).
The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) sets the volume threshold for reporting a spill at 1 gallon. And, 1 barrel of oil contains 42 gallons.
Over the 2016-2024 period, 91,758.84 bbls were spilled, with 83,514.63 bbls recovered. This translates to 3.8 million gallons spilled and 3.5 million gallons recovered, according to MEEI calculations.
The monetary value of oil spilled during this period amounted to TT$3.5mn (net, after deducting recovered barrels) and TT$32.5mn (gross, without deduction of recovered barrels), according to the MEEI.
It is important to note that the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) calculates fines for spill events. And, spill costs escalate based on volume spilled and recovery rates and there is no spill value threshold for triggering escrow use.
The MEEI plans to improve its spill monitoring capabilities by purchasing early detection radar systems, the TTEITI said.
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By Piero Stewart reporting from Panama City. © 2025 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.
