A TEAM HAS BEEN CALLED in to clean up an oil spill which occurred in the Bridgetown Port yesterday.
According to a media release, officials at the Barbados Port Inc received news of the oil spill caused by a rupture on the Sol pipeline which runs from the port to the Holborn facility.
The Oil Spill Contingency Plan has been implemented, comprising teams from Sol, Environmental Protection Department, Barbados Coast Guard and Barbados Port Inc. Two areas along the quay have been excavated in an effort to pinpoint the location of the spill.
Harbour Master Richard Alleyne said vessels in port were updated on the situation. Measures were also put in place to contain the spill and prevent the ships from having oil attached to their hulls.
“We have instituted measures to mitigate the impact of the oil in accordance with the Department of Emergency Management’s National Oil Spill Contingency Plan such as applying containment booms in the water to keep the oil within a set area,” he said.
Alleyne stressed everything had been done to contain the spill within the Bridgetown Port and there were no immediate threats to the beaches in the surrounding areas.
The Harbour Master said the relevant agencies would be in a position to report fully on the incident once investigations were completed and the leak repaired. (PR/SAT)
