The T&T Coast Guard says at least two vessels were involved in the oil spill incident impacting Tobago.

In a statement, the National Security Ministry says video footage and other information obtained by the TTCG confirmed that the two vessels are a tug boat and a barge.

It says the vessels appear to have been bound for Guyana, however Guyanese authorities say neither vessel arrived as anticipated.

At this stage, it is not known whether any lives have been lost in the incident.

The TTCG is also examining video footage of the barge supplied by the Guyana Coast Guard, as it appeared to be sinking.

It is using certain distinctive markings of the barge, to confirm its identity, with confirmation received as well that the barge was being towed by a tug, the Solo Creed, from Panama, destined for Guyana.

It says satellite imagery shows the Solo Creed towing an object on February 4th 2024.

The National Coastal Surveillance Radar Centre (NCSRC) was able to use this information, to track the tug into T&T’s waters, though it eventually lost radar contact with both vessels.

The TTCG has also confirmed that neither the tug, nor the barge, have entered Guyana waters.

As part of the investigation, Caricom IMPACS contacted the authorities in Panama and Aruba, for photographs of the tug boat and the barge.

The Dutch authorities in Aruba, provided images of the tug towing the barge, and these images were used to confirm the identity of both vessels.