The captain and five-member crew on board a jack-up barge
off the west coast of Trinidad & Tobago had to be rescued after the vessel
toppled and sank in the Gulf of Paria, with 900 barrels of diesel fuel aboard.
Trinity Group of Companies later confirmed that the
vessel Liftboat Daniela had capsized and was now sitting on the
seafloor. It said that the vessel no longer posed a risk to any of Heritage
Petroleum’s platforms or installations.
The company stated that during the morning of November 30th the vessel had been engaged in routine
operations preparing for a departure from Heritage Petroleum’s Well S822 North
Field.
Shortly after this the vessel developed a list and the
Captain decided to abandon ship. All the crew and personnel were evacuated to a
nearby vessel, which transported them back to the Base in Point Fortin,
Trinidad & Tobago. Local authorities mobilized resources to contain the
potential environmental impact of the 900 barrels of diesel fuel leaking.
The Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Energy said that “at
this time, response efforts are being led by the owner of the vessel. The focus
is now on salvage and ensuring that during this process there are no oil
spills. There are about 900 barrels of diesel fuel on board the vessel, oil
spill response equipment is on standby in the event a spill response is
required”.
It added that the Environmental Management Authority,
Trinidad and Tobago, Coast Guard, Maritime Services Division and other
authorities have all been informed, with the Ministry monitoring the situation
with Heritage Petroleum assisting as necessary.
Heritage Petroleum, a Trinidad & Tobago’s state-owned
oil and gas company that focuses on exploration, development, production, and
marketing of crude oil, is the operator of the North Field in the Gulf of
Paria.
Trinity Liftboat Services says it provides jack-up
liftboats from 130ft to 160ft class operating in Trinidad & Tobago. The
company also provides crewing and shore base management staff to support the
oil, gas, and shipping industry.
Heritage Petroleum said that it had received an SOS and
responded by rescuing persons on board the sinking vessel. “The rescued persons
were taken to Marine Base and later transported for medical evaluation. The
vessel was not in Heritage’s service at the time of the incident,” it stated.
The Ministry of Energy also issued a media release
stating that barge was not contracted by Heritage and response efforts were
being led by the owner of the vessel. Trinity was also moving to lift the
structure from the seabed.
Barge overturns at Heritage Petroleum’s North Field in the Gulf of Paria with six persons on board. Incident is said to have happened around 8:30am today. The site is being closely monitored for oil spill response as 900 barrels of diesel fuel were on board when the vessel sank. /6QCBcw8dxa
— TTT Live Online (@tttliveonline) November 30, 2022
