A tug believed to be responsible for a $244m oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago has been arrested in Angola.

The Caribbean nation’s finance minister, Colm Imbert, told its senate that the Solo Creed was held on 18 October through the attorney general’s office, local media company Newsday reported.

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Trinidad and Tobago started a clean-up operation after a barge called Gulfstream washed up on its shores in February, leaking fuel across beaches, coral reefs and mangroves.

The barge was being towed by a vessel identified by the government as the Tanzania-flagged Solo Creed.

The ministry of energy and energy industries said it will now try to recover $244m in claims for damages.

The spill of 51,000 barrels of fuel oil also reportedly reached Grenada and Bonaire.

A statement from the energy ministry said the arrest proceedings were filed in Angola after a “relentless pursuit” of the Solo Creed that also included the ministry of legal affairs, the coastguard and transport ministry.

“The government will continue to pursue all legal proceedings in Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere to ensure that the rights and interests of the people are protected and vindicated,” the ministry added.

The tug’s ownership is not known.

In May, information released by the Angolan Navy revealed the Solo Creed was seized off Luanda on 11 May for an unauthorised breach of the offshore security perimeter of oil extraction blocks 17 and 18.

The exclusive zones are operated by subsidiaries of BP and TotalEnergies.

Operating from Panama

The tug had broadcast no AIS data for 112 days before that but investigative website Bellingcat verified its location off Angola using satellite imagery.

The identities of the two vessels involved in the Caribbean spill were unknown for more than a week after it happened.

The tug and barge were heading to Guyana before the February spill.

TankerTrackers said the Gulfstream was seen in Pozuelo Bay, Venezuela, during the entire final week of January.

The 38-metre tug was operating out of Panama, according to the Trinidad and Tobago coastguard.