Scientists to investigate suspected oil sightings in Bahamian waters
By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Staff Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net:
SCIENTISTS and volunteers are expected to set out today on a five-day expedition to Cay Sal and Bimini to investigate sightings of suspected oil in the seas around the Bahamas from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) scientists and volunteers will take sediment samples and test them on the Defence Force vessel HMS Bahamas to confirm or deny the presence of oil in Bahamian waters.
The scientists include leading marine ecologist Dr Ethan Freid and marine biologist Kathleen Sealy from the IMO.
Environment Minister Earl Deveaux said: "The group going to Cay Sal will continue any pre-impact assessment. This group will do a more detailed assessment than the first group.
"We are doing it to ensure that we have documented proof of the conditions that existed prior to the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
"The likelihood of fresh oil coming to the Bahamas is indeed remote. The oil is approaching 60 days old from the first spill. We are, according to all the best scientific information, likely to get oil that is weathered in the form of tar balls. What we do not know about is the expanse of the dispersense and what impact they would have and that's why we want to document the conditions in advance of any impact from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill so we can measure it going forward."
According to Mr Deveaux, all the initial expenses for the pre-impact assessment is being handled through NEMA.
"The companies in Grand Bahama have in stock more than 30 per cent of any necessary equipment that we would use if we were required to respond to say, Cay Sal, Bimini, Freeport Harbor or West End. These are the proximate areas where the likelihood of land fall would first occur," Mr Deveaux said.
More than 1,000 people have volunteered to assist in the oil spill clean-up effort, said Mr Deveaux.
"I think the issue we would have would not be the number of persons willing to assist but how we would coordinate the level of preparedness to assist to make it most effective," Mr Deveaux said.
The Attorney General's office is exploring all legal options in the event the government has to seek recompense from any impact the BP oil disaster has on the Bahamas.
"We have taken the information we have to date, and the Attorney General's office is exploring all of legal options with respects to British Petroleum and the United Kingdom in the event we seek recompose from any disaster that hits the Bahamas. We hope that none does," the Minister added.
June 21, 2010
tribune242
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label Gulf of Mexico oil spill Cay Sal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gulf of Mexico oil spill Cay Sal. Show all posts
Monday, June 21, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The National Oil Spill Committee is on alert as concerned citizens have reported sightings of what they believe to be oil sheens in Bahamian waters
Experts to probe oil spill reports
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
SIGHTINGS of suspected oil in the seas around the Bahamas from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico will be investigated by scientists setting out on a five-day expedition to Cay Sal and Bimini on Monday.
The team of IMO scientists and volunteers will take sediment samples and test them on the Defence Force vessel HMS Bahamas to confirm or deny the presence of oil in Bahamian waters.
The National Oil Spill Committee is on alert as concerned citizens have reported sightings of what they believe to be oil sheens in Bahamian waters.
Director of the Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology Commission (BEST) Philip Weech said the dark patches spotted in the ocean are more likely to be large clumps of dark seaweed drifting in the ocean than the oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico, which they resemble.
"If there is oil in the Bahamas yet, we don't know," Mr Weech said.
"We have been getting a lot of calls and concerns of that nature and many are coming from the fact that people are seeing what they would normally see when they fly over, which is seaweed, which looks like what you see on the international news, but what we expect to see here would be weathered black tar balls.
"We are almost 800 miles away from the oil head so it's going to be a completely different scenario."
Oil sheens containing thousands of tar balls have hit the south coast of the United States in Mississippi, Louisianna, Alabama and Florida, and some reports claim these sheens have already left the Gulf.
The National Oil Spill Committee will spend five days in Cay Sal Banks, the westernmost point of the Bahamas 145km west of Andros Island, and Bimini, collecting oceanic and terrestrial samples to test on the RBDF vessel and determine whether or not oil has left the Gulf.
They will be assisted by trained volunteers from the College of the Bahamas, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Department of Marine Resources, other government departments and environmental protection agencies who will continue sampling work in the northern Abaco cays and Grand Bahama.
More samples will be taken on the slower, more detailed exercise than the previous two-day expedition to Cay Sal last month which showed no signs of oil from the spill and have been stored in a tamper-free US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified laboratory.
Committee spokesman and Bahamas National Trust (BNT) director Eric Carey said: "We are hearing so many conflicting reports, depending what website you look at, so we have spent a lot of time trying to get the best information available to us.
"One source said oil might be exiting the Gulf of Mexico in the form of tar balls already, so we are really anxious to see what the team finds when they get to Cay Sal, because some of the reports suggest tar might already be heading there."
The team of scientists include leading marine ecologist Dr Ethan Freid and marine biologist Kathleen Sealy from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
June 19, 2010
tribune242
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
SIGHTINGS of suspected oil in the seas around the Bahamas from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico will be investigated by scientists setting out on a five-day expedition to Cay Sal and Bimini on Monday.
The team of IMO scientists and volunteers will take sediment samples and test them on the Defence Force vessel HMS Bahamas to confirm or deny the presence of oil in Bahamian waters.
The National Oil Spill Committee is on alert as concerned citizens have reported sightings of what they believe to be oil sheens in Bahamian waters.
Director of the Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology Commission (BEST) Philip Weech said the dark patches spotted in the ocean are more likely to be large clumps of dark seaweed drifting in the ocean than the oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico, which they resemble.
"If there is oil in the Bahamas yet, we don't know," Mr Weech said.
"We have been getting a lot of calls and concerns of that nature and many are coming from the fact that people are seeing what they would normally see when they fly over, which is seaweed, which looks like what you see on the international news, but what we expect to see here would be weathered black tar balls.
"We are almost 800 miles away from the oil head so it's going to be a completely different scenario."
Oil sheens containing thousands of tar balls have hit the south coast of the United States in Mississippi, Louisianna, Alabama and Florida, and some reports claim these sheens have already left the Gulf.
The National Oil Spill Committee will spend five days in Cay Sal Banks, the westernmost point of the Bahamas 145km west of Andros Island, and Bimini, collecting oceanic and terrestrial samples to test on the RBDF vessel and determine whether or not oil has left the Gulf.
They will be assisted by trained volunteers from the College of the Bahamas, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Department of Marine Resources, other government departments and environmental protection agencies who will continue sampling work in the northern Abaco cays and Grand Bahama.
More samples will be taken on the slower, more detailed exercise than the previous two-day expedition to Cay Sal last month which showed no signs of oil from the spill and have been stored in a tamper-free US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified laboratory.
Committee spokesman and Bahamas National Trust (BNT) director Eric Carey said: "We are hearing so many conflicting reports, depending what website you look at, so we have spent a lot of time trying to get the best information available to us.
"One source said oil might be exiting the Gulf of Mexico in the form of tar balls already, so we are really anxious to see what the team finds when they get to Cay Sal, because some of the reports suggest tar might already be heading there."
The team of scientists include leading marine ecologist Dr Ethan Freid and marine biologist Kathleen Sealy from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
June 19, 2010
tribune242
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