Cedros fisherfolk call for compensation after oil spill

Cedros fisherfolk are calling for swift compensation as an oil spill along the southwestern peninsula of the island has affected more than 100 fishermen and over 30 boats.

Oil deposits began washing ashore on Wednesday evening and Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd quickly dispatched teams to conduct mop-up operations.

As the teams worked along the shoreline at Fullerton Beach and offshore, several oil-stained boats were seen on the sand, ropes blackened with oil.

Guardian Media was told that there have been more than six oil spills in Cedros for this year, and this was one of the worst.

Fisherman Lyndon Gay said they noticed the oil on Wednesday evening.

“Before we leave (to go out to sea) we saw the oil spill coming in and we rope everything was messed up. All outside there (pointing out to the sea) have oil.”

Another fisherman, Randy Sooklal, said every time there was an oil spill it affected marine life as well as their their livelihood.

He said, “When that happening, and they sinking the oil and thing out there, just now we can’t hold fish here. When you sink that oil and that go down below, real fish running from that, that polluting down below. It is only looking like they doing something good but it polluting below. It will take two, three months for fish to come back again.”

Sooklal wants the company to compensate all fishermen and boat owners.

A boat owner who requested anonymity said fishermen would have to use “twice as much fuel” to sail further distances to fish. “Around this time of the year, we coming close to Christmas. This is the time bandits normally attack fishermen at sea, so we are more at risk so we asking Heritage to deal with this issue as quickly as possible and compensate the fishermen.”

Complaining that after the last major oil spill fishermen had to wait six months for compensation, he said they also have families to maintain and financial commitments. “Right now, everybody is on lockdown, waiting to see what happens with this.”

Siparia Deputy Mayor Shankar Teelucksingh, who is also the councillor for Cedros said Heritage personnel responded after the reports were made on Wednesday night, but preventative measures must be implemented.

Teelucksingh said, “Prevention is the area that I am not seeing the active interest from the Ministry of Energy and also Heritage in terms of their installation for prevention and that is what we need to have. Remember it is an ageing infrastructure we have outside and we don’t wait for an event or a disaster to take place before we see how we deal with this hydrocarbon releasing into the marine environment that affects other users.”

In a press statement, Heritage Petroleum Company Limited said the source of the hydrocarbon was not yet determined.

Stating that its Incident Management Team was initiated, the Company said a Heritage Spill Response Team and three oil spill response contractors were dispatched to conduct clean-up activities.

The company added that regulatory agencies, including the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI), the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), and marine stakeholders were notified of the incident.

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