Trinidad and Tobago Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal said the Ministry of Energy, Heritage Petroleum and the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard had launched a joint operation to determine the source and nature of the substance detected near the coastlineFile. Photo by Andrea De Silva/EPA
Venezuela’s interim government on Friday decried a new spill allegedly originating in Trinidad and Tobago, saying the movement of crude oil exceeds in size and volume a similar incident reported in early May.
In a statement, Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said satellite imagery confirmed the environmental incident and warned of the “drift of pollutants toward Venezuelan waters, with risks to marine ecosystems, fishing activities and coastal communities.”
The government called on Trinidad and Tobago’s authorities to provide full transparency regarding the structural causes, actual scope and direct consequences of the spill.
It also urged officials to establish permanent operational safeguards to prevent similar incidents that could threaten the shared environmental security of both countries
#Comunicado República Bolivariana de Venezuela informa a la comunidad nacional e internacional la ocurrencia un nuevo derrame de hidrocarburos proveniente de la República de Trinidad y Tobago, reafirmado por imágenes satelitales. Este evento supera en magnitud al ocurrido en… pic.twitter.com/VSsScFrKqB— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) June 12, 2026
The statement added that Venezuela reserves the right to pursue action before international bodies “to determine responsibility, seek appropriate compensation and prevent the repetition of similar events.”
Last month, Caracas accused Trinidad and Tobago of causing an oil spill that affected about 647 square miles in the Gulf of Paria, which the two nations share.
Venezuelan authorities described the incident as causing “serious environmental damage” to four national parks, 12 strategic wetland systems, 140 marine species and the livelihoods of about 500 artisanal fishermen.
Trinidad and Tobago downplayed the scale of the incident, saying it involved a minor spill of approximately 10 barrels of crude oil at the offshore Main Soldado field, and that it was quickly contained.
On Friday, authorities in Trinidad and Tobago said they were investigating a possible oil spill reported by Venezuela.
Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal said the Ministry of Energy, Heritage Petroleum and the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard had launched a joint operation to determine the source and nature of the substance detected near the coastline, according to Caribbean news outlet CNW.
“We are coordinating a joint operation to establish the facts,” Moonilal said. “We have deployed vessels and drones to conduct reconnaissance activities. We have received a report from our Venezuelan counterparts and are urgently investigating the matter.”
Trinidad and Tobago maintains extensive oil and natural gas operations onshore and in shallow offshore waters and is one of the Caribbean’s leading energy producers, according to the country’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.
The two countries also share several offshore energy resources in the Gulf of Paria and surrounding maritime areas.
