GUYANA is working along with Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname for the development of a Technical Working Group and other agreements for a clear plan of action on oil spill readiness.

This was relayed by Senior Foreign Service Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Donnette Streete on Monday at the Enhancing Offshore E&P Regional Capacity: Operational and Environmental Safeguards Conference. “We are in the process of setting up a Technical Working Group with the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and…we expect to come to an agreement about oil spill response preparedness and so on with the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,” she stated.

At the time she was speaking on the topic of international protocols and Regional Cooperation.
She also stated that such efforts, in relation to Trinidad and Tobago, have been made easier through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Energy Sector Cooperation signed between the two countries in September 2018.

Article 2 F of the MOU states: “The Parties may cooperate in the following areas…the development of policies, plans and protocols relating to health, safety and the environment and the establishment of procedures to prevent and respond to operational accidents which may result in damage, environmental impacts and personal injury…” The signing came following a State visit of Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley.

Meanwhile, hoping to replicate Guyana’s success, Suriname, despite setbacks at the Kolibri Well on Block 53 in 2017 and the Popokai Well on its 1.44 million-acre Block 58 in 2015, it will spud another well next month, the Apache, on Block 58. Streete stated: “We have begun discussions with the Republic of Suriname. Even though an oil spill in Guyana is not likely to affect the Republic of Suriname, Suriname also is involved in offshore drilling and so we have begun those discussions and we expect that whatever initiatives we come up with would be reciprocal in nature even if we’re requested to provide assistance that we could or we could request assistance from them.”

On September 4, 2019, Guyana’s National Oil Spill Response Contingency Plan was reported to be 90 per cent complete.

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has already begun procuring oil spill response equipment while volunteers are being trained to respond in the unlikely event of an oil spill on or offshore.