pineconesMar 3, 2024
Bellingcat
Our investigation continues on the oil spill off the coast of Tobago, with The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, we can reveal that the tugboat "Solo Creed," which towed the sunken barge, belonged to a network of Panamanian companies accused of transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/03/tobago-oil-spill-tug-solo-creed-belonged-to-panamanian-firm/?utm_source=mastodon
Tobago Oil Spill Tug "Solo Creed" Belonged to Panamanian Firm With History of Moving Venezuelan Oil - bellingcat

The tugboat behind an ongoing oil spill off the Tobago coast, which has spiralled into a regional environmental crisis, belonged to a director at a network of Panamanian companies with a history of transporting oil from Venezuela, according to documents unearthed by Bellingcat and the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian that have been validated by the Zanzibar Maritime Authority.

bellingcat
Mar 3, 2024 at 10:03amWeb
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
We previously found that the vessel leaking oil off the Tobago coast since early February is a barge formerly known as the Gulfstream: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/02/14/identifying-the-mystery-vessel-at-the-site-of-trinidad-tobagos-national-emergency-oil-spill/
Identifying the Mystery Vessel at the Site of Trinidad & Tobago’s National Emergency Oil Spill - bellingcat

Earlier this month, a mystery vessel began leaking oil and ran aground on a reef off the coast of Tobago. Open source evidence points to a potential answer.

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Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Now our research raises concerns that the barge wasn’t fit to be carrying oil. We obtained court documents from months prior using open sources that describe the vessel as “presenting water leaks” and requiring “pumping services” to prevent it from sinking.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Ship registration documents, provided by the Zanzibar Maritime Authority, confirm that an officer of Melaj Offshore Corp was the registered owner of the tug "Solo Creed" at the time of the sinking.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Public data from the Panamanian corporate registry shows that the power of attorney for Melaj belongs to Augustine Jackson, who is listed as an officer alongside Gonzalez. We discovered Jackson is Gonzalez’s husband and that this vessel is not the only one he is associated with.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Gonzalez did not respond to requests for comment. Jackson confirmed his ownership of Melaj Offshore Corporation but denied any connection to the Solo Creed or Gulfstream and claimed the real owner was a man named "Dr. Abraham"
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
When contacted, Dr Abraham could not produce evidence of purchasing the Solo Creed as he claimed, but did provide a bill of sale for the Gulfstream, which could not be verified and contradicted open source evidence.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
The unnotarized document, dated August 28, 2023, claims he paid a far higher price than the auction price ranges months earlier — and listed the vessel as a misspelling of its previous name Gulfstream. The vessel had been listed as Sea Marlin for several years by this time.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
In a WhatsApp exchange, the self-claimed owner Abraham Olalekan expressed surprise that people were interested in the abandoned barge and ended a conversation on 2 March 2024, stating "[s]uch incident is not new,certain things are inevitable."
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Bellingcat was unable to reach the other party listed in the document, Ivan Dario Osorno (if misspelt as ‘Orsono’ on the bill) for comment. No open source indications could be found that he had any corporate dealings in the oil or shipping businesses.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Tobago authorities have asked the owner of the vessels to come forward and claim responsibility for the spill, which has reached hundreds of miles into the Caribbean Sea, but no party has yet to be publicly identified.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Olalekan claimed, without evidence, to have contacted the relevant maritime authorities within 72 hours of the incident.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Independently, maritime authorities in Trinidad and Tobago provided a copy of a letter sent 10 days after the incident authored by a Dr. Richard Oyiwona, claiming to be Olalekan's lawyer.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
The letter claims that the Solo Creed travelled to Aruba to pick up the barge on 16 January 2024. This contradicts satellite imagery and AIS data, which shows that the Solo Creed and the Gulfstream travelled together from Colón. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/02/20/how-a-leaking-barge-became-an-oil-spill-disaster-off-the-tobago-coast/
How a Leaking Barge Became an Oil Spill Disaster Off the Tobago Coast - bellingcat

Satellite images newly obtained by Bellingcat shed light on how a stranded barge at the centre of a major oil spill ended up aground and leaking oil off the Tobago coast.

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Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
According to documents leaked on social media last week, the ship was bound for Guyana's state-owned electric utility’s terminal and was carrying the equivalent of $2 million US dollars in oil.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Videos found by Bellingcat and the Guardian, filmed in late January, show the Solo Creed en route with the Gulfstream. In one video, a voice can be heard saying that they are travelling to Venezuela. In others, filmed later, you can see the barge sinking.
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
Read the full investigation by @obtusatum , Asha Javeed, and Thomas Bordeaux into the ownership network and the intended destination of the two vessels that caused the oil disaster in Trinidad and Tobago here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/03/tobago-oil-spill-tug-solo-creed-belonged-to-panamanian-firm/?utm_source=mastodon
Tobago Oil Spill Tug "Solo Creed" Belonged to Panamanian Firm With History of Moving Venezuelan Oil - bellingcat

The tugboat behind an ongoing oil spill off the Tobago coast, which has spiralled into a regional environmental crisis, belonged to a director at a network of Panamanian companies with a history of transporting oil from Venezuela, according to documents unearthed by Bellingcat and the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian that have been validated by the Zanzibar Maritime Authority.

bellingcat
Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
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Donate - bellingcat

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Show threadBellingcatMar 3, 2024
You can read our partner's The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian's publication on these findings here: https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/oil-spill-secrets-panamanian-firm-at-centre-of-tobago-oil-spillcargo-valued-at-us2m-6.2.1940419.ae386d7e8e
Oil spill secrets: Panamanian firm at centre of Tobago oil spill—cargo valued at US$2M

On Feb­ru­ary 7, an oil-like sub­stance be­gan leak­ing from an over­turned barge, clear­ly aban­doned, stuck in a reef south of Cove, To­ba­go.