A leaning oil tanker off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago is raising concerns of local fishermen and environmental groups. The Venezuelan oil tanker, Nabarima has been moored off of the South American nation’s coast for 20 months following the tightening of US sanctions on Venezuela.
Local watchdog group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea say the vessel contains 55 million gallons (1.3 million barrels) of crude oil and that entire cargo is at risk of spilling as the vessel threatens to capsize after spending over a year a half moored.
According to the Miami Herald, Trinidadian authorities are visiting the ship today to inspect the damaged vessel and to assess the next steps forward to prevent an ecological disaster 5 times the size of the Exxon Valdez.
The ship is in the Gulf of Paria, between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.
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