A tug believed to be responsible for a $23m oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago has been held in Angola.
The Caribbean nation 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.
Information released by the Angolan Navy has 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.
The tug has broadcast no AIS data for 112 days, but investigative website Bellingcat verified its location off Angola using satellite imagery.
Angola Press News Agency quoted Angolan Navy commander Divaldo Fonseca as saying the crew claimed they had intended to load water and other supplies.
Fonseca reiterated the commitment of the navy to continue developing actions to guarantee the “inviolability of national waters”.
Video footage from RTP Africa showed the Solo Creed after it had been detained.
The identities of the two vessels involved in the Caribbean spill were unknown for more than a week.
The national security ministry said the tug and barge were heading to Guyana.
TankerTrackers said the Gulfstream was seen in Pozuelo Bay, Venezuela, during the entire final week of January.
The Gulfstream may have been carrying as much as 35,000 barrels of fuel oil.
The 38-metre tug was operating out of Panama, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.
Its ownership is not known.
