Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said that the initial claim for the oil spill in Tobago has dropped from US$30 million to US$23 million.
He explained during a Conversation with the Prime Minister event last night, at the Scarborough Library that the claim is being processed through an international body that assists countries affected by oil spills.
He was referring to the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund where the country had made a submission and has qualified for assistance for funds to cover the cost of the clean-up. He said, “We started out making a claim in the estimates of approximately 30 million. That has since been reduced to $23 million and when is all is said and done we will know what the figure is.”
Dr Rowley said that a team from the agency has already visited Trinidad and Tobago to assess the situation, and yesterday (Wednesday)Cabinet approved for officials to travel to the agency’s headquarters to continue the discussions.
Dr Rowley noted that while the final figure is not yet known, the claim is expected to be “not insignificant” and will cover the expenses incurred by the agencies and the clean-up efforts in Tobago.