Smuggler blamed for massive Caribbean oil spill in February arrested in Angola on other charges

Almost four months after Tobago experienced one of its worst environmental disasters, the ship suspected of being involved was tracked down thousands of miles away on another continent and arrested on different charges.

On the morning of February 7, local authorities discovered an oil slick from a capsized ship off the west coast of Tobago. The oil slick quickly reached the southwest coast of the Caribbean island and a national state of emergency was declared.

The tugboat and the ship were eventually classified as Solo Credo and that Gulf StreamBoth have experience in hauling Venezuelan oil. The barge’s last fateful voyage was carrying around 35,000 barrels of oil that was supposed to end up in Guyana, but the barge ran into difficulties en route.

After the 48-year-old ship capsized off the coast of Tobago, the oil slick spread hundreds of kilometers westward, reaching the east coast of the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire and later Aruba and Grenada. The total cost of cleaning up the oil spill is estimated at $23.5 million.

In an exclusive investigation by the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian and the Dutch journalist group Bellingcat, the Solo Credo has now been found. It turns out that the tug was detained in Angola on May 11 for trespassing into the offshore oil security area of ​​oil production blocks 17 and 18 claimed by the African country. The vessel is currently anchored in the Bay of Luanda.

Stuart Young, the Energy Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has been in touch with his counterparts in Angola and is reviewing the new information that has come to light.

When the tug and ship ran into trouble in February, neither the tug nor the ship were insured and their ownership was initially a mystery. It has since been established that the tug and the ship belonged to Nigerian Abraham Olalekan.