A cross-border environmental dispute has emerged between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago after Caracas accused Port of Spain of being the source of a major oil spill that has inflicted widespread harm to coastal ecosystems and communities in eastern Venezuela.
In an official communiqué released Wednesday evening, Venezuela’s interim government under Acting President Delcy Rodríguez publicly raised alarm with the global community over the incident. The statement pinned the origin of the spill on the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, noting that contamination has already spread across the Gulf of Paria and the shorelines of Venezuela’s Sucre and Delta Amacuro states.
Preliminary technical assessments conducted by Venezuelan agencies have confirmed that the spill has left measurable damage across multiple key zones: open marine habitats, public coastlines, ecologically sensitive natural areas, and the fishing communities that form the backbone of the local regional economy. According to the communiqué, experts have documented severe threats to the region’s mangrove forests, coastal wetlands, native marine wildlife, and critical hydrobiological resources that underpin both local food security and the broader ecological balance of the Gulf of Paria. Records also confirm harm to vulnerable native species and ecosystems categorized as exceptionally sensitive to disruption.
Following the detection of the spill, the Venezuelan government has issued a formal set of demands and next steps. Caracas has instructed its Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately launch a formal request for full access to all relevant details about the incident from Trinidad and Tobago, alongside a comprehensive copy of Port of Spain’s containment and mitigation action plan. The communiqué also emphasized that Venezuela demands Trinidad and Tobago uphold all binding obligations under international environmental law, and move forward urgently to implement reparations measures for the damage already inflicted by the spill.
“ The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will continue to deploy all necessary actions to protect the affected ecosystems and safeguard the impacted communities,” the statement concluded.
Responding to requests for comment from local outlet Trinidad Express, Trinidad and Tobago’s Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal confirmed that a formal investigation into the claims is already underway. Moonilal stated that Heritage Petroleum, the state-owned energy company of Trinidad and Tobago, has launched its own internal inquiries into the reports, and that additional details will be released to the public once preliminary findings are compiled.