Venezuela accuses Trinidad and Tobago over alleged oil spill
Caracas says oil has reached its coast and threatens fishing, while Port of Spain says it is seeking coordinates and checking the area.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Venezuela has accused Trinidad and Tobago of responsibility for an oil spill that Caracas says has reached Venezuelan shores. The allegation adds another dispute between the Caribbean neighbours at a time when their relations are already tense, according to Al Jazeera.
Venezuela’s foreign ministry said Friday that the spill threatens marine ecosystems, fishing activity and coastal communities. The ministry said satellite imagery had confirmed the pollution, but it did not name the specific Venezuelan areas affected.
Caracas called on Trinidad and Tobago to take immediate steps to prevent more spills and to provide clear information about the cause, scale and impact of the incident. The ministry said the contamination was putting fragile coastal environments at risk and disrupting fishing.
Trinidad and Tobago’s government said it was trying to verify the allegation. Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal told Reuters that the Air Guard and Coast Guard had been sent to inspect the sea and that drones were also being used to establish what happened.
Moonilal said Port of Spain had asked Venezuela for coordinates showing where the alleged spill was located. He also said Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign ministry had contacted the Venezuelan embassy in Port of Spain to seek more information.
Trinidad and Tobago sits about 10km, or six miles, from the Venezuelan coast, according to Al Jazeera. The proximity has made marine pollution a recurring concern between the countries.
The latest allegation recalls a February 2024 spill, when a tanker sank in waters off Trinidad and Tobago and pollution later spread into Venezuelan territorial waters, according to Al Jazeera. A Reuters file photograph from August 2024 showed oil staining a beach in Boca de Aroa, Venezuela, after that earlier spill.
The dispute also comes amid wider political friction. Al Jazeera reported that relations have worsened since Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar returned to office last year and adopted a tougher position on Venezuelan migration.
Al Jazeera also reported that Persad-Bissessar sought closer ties with the United States before the January capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Caracas was angered after Trinidad and Tobago’s government said it supported U.S. actions linked to that episode, according to the report.
Neither government has publicly provided an independent assessment of the alleged spill’s size or origin. Venezuela says the contamination has already reached its shores, while Trinidad and Tobago says it is still checking the claim and has requested precise information from Caracas.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.