Venezuela says Trinidad and Tobago oil spill threatens its coast

A spill in the Gulf of Paria has pushed Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago into a new dispute over coastal damage, fishing livelihoods and liability. Venezuela said oil from Trinidad and Tobago had reached its shoreline and threatened marine ecosystems and coastal communities, while demanding immediate action and clearer information on the cause, scope and consequences.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries said Heritage Petroleum detected an offshore spill in the Main Field at 7:25 a.m. on May 1, 2026. The ministry said approval to use chemical dispersants was granted at 9:50 a.m. that day, and trajectory modeling showed untreated hydrocarbons could cross the Trinidad/Venezuela border in the Gulf of Paria. Trinidad and Tobago estimated the leak at 10 barrels, said the source was identified and stopped on May 1, repaired and returned to service on May 2, and said drone and vessel inspections found no visible hydrocarbons remaining on the water’s surface.

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said satellite imagery confirmed the spill and that it exceeded in magnitude an earlier incident in May. Venezuelan officials said preliminary technical reports pointed to impacts on marine areas, coastlines, sensitive ecosystems and fishing communities, with risks to mangroves, wetlands, marine fauna and strategic hydrobiological resources linked to food security. Venezuela later said the spill could affect about 1,625 square kilometers across 12 strategic wetland systems and the livelihoods of more than 500 fishermen, with coastal areas in Sucre and Delta Amacuro among the places of concern.

The dispute quickly took on a diplomatic edge. Trinidad and Tobago’s Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal said on May 9 that an investigation had been launched into Venezuela’s allegations, and the government said on May 11 that it had dealt adequately with the spill and was investigating the matter. Venezuela said it reserved the right to take action before competent international bodies to determine liability, raising the possibility that the case could move beyond bilateral complaints and into a wider legal fight.

The episode has revived memories of a February 2024 tanker sinking in Trinidad and Tobago’s waters that sent pollution into Venezuelan territorial waters. In the Gulf of Paria, where the two countries sit only a few miles apart, even small releases can cross maritime boundaries quickly, turning local cleanup into a test of who bears the cost when oil moves from one coast to another.