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CCNTV6
  • 6 months ago
Transcript
00:00Contrary to reports circulating on social media, there is in fact no fuel leaking from this vessel.
00:08The crew has given the assurance that the hull is completely intact,
00:11and what they are doing now is simply transferring some of the materials from the ship onto a barge so as to stabilize the vessel.
00:19They say that they should be finished with this process in about 24 hours and be ready to make the trip back to St. Vincent.
00:26After running aground in Trinidad and Tobago's waters just off Monos Island on Tuesday,
00:33the crew of the Hein cargo vessel which was transporting construction materials destined to St. Vincent
00:40is receiving support from both private and public local agencies, including the Maritime Services Division.
00:48Once their vessel's gun is brought above water level, cargo will be repositioned to the starboard side to achieve proper trim and balance.
00:57Proactive environmental protection measures are in place.
01:01The local service providers engage to boom around the vessel as a precautionary safeguard.
01:06At present, there are no visual indications of oil or pollution in the surrounding waters.
01:12Local navigational safety teacher Captain Ronald Wald gives some insight into the process to reflow to the vessel.
01:20The vessel will, it'll take some time to offload the amount of tonnage that's required to refloat the vessel.
01:30They'll be taking, I assume they'll be taking most of the cargo from the port side.
01:36So when the vessel does refloat, it will become close to stable, but it won't be leveled.
01:44The ship will need to be towed out.
01:46The stern will need to be pulled out first and to seaward to clear the rudder and the propeller from the rocks.
01:55A representative from the Hine told TV6 News, the crews being ably supported by the local authorities.
02:03While at sea, we witnessed members of the Coast Guard transporting personnel to the vessel.
02:08Meantime, some locals volunteered their vessel for humanitarian relief.
02:12We're just going to get some food for them and make sure they're all right, you know, as friends.
02:17So, we want to make sure they're all right.
02:19What is the threat that is that they request?
02:21Food, food and water.
02:23We're just going to help them out.
02:24Oh, you want to go?
02:25Yeah, whatever the assistance they need, you know.
02:27That's the only news, so there we are.
02:30While a crisis was averted this time around,
02:33President of the Maritime Services Association, Jesse James,
02:37is urging government to put measures in place to adequately respond to potential oil spill threats.
02:43I know we do have a plan, but it's on pen and paper.
02:48How well should this, let's say, for example,
02:51God forbid if this had turned out to be a real oil spill and a disaster and whatever,
02:56how well are we able to respond to something like that?
03:00And can we really respond to something like that?
03:02I'm sorry to say, but from past experience, response to oil spills has not been very good.
03:10President of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea, Gary Aboud,
03:14is expressing relief that the situation has been contained
03:17after witnessing some hydrocarbons in the water just after the incident.
03:22However, he's calling for the same urgency to be brought to the situation
03:26involving the vast number of vessels which have been abandoned in TNT's waters.
03:31It's a successful operation.
03:34Everything that I think it could be done is being done.
03:37We just had several government agencies just board the vessel.
03:42There are about 30 workers on the vessel moving the load.
03:44The cranes are working.
03:46So I think this has been a very positive response.
03:49What we're hoping for is that we can get the same type of attention
03:52to the derelict vessel where the corporate billionaire is throwing waste oil into the vessel.
04:02That to me is a more serious issue than this one.
04:06This one, we out of the woods, thank God, Trinidad and Tobago is safe.
04:10Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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