Noting that when oil spills occur in the territory the clean-up costs have to be burdened by Government, Minister for Communications and Works Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) said Government is moving to approve legislation that would penalise persons who cause oil spills or dump oil illegally. Photo: VINO

From left: General Manager of Sol Petroleum BVI, Liz Wyatt; Director for the Department of Disaster Management, Ms Sharleen S. DaBreo; and Minister for Communications and Works Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) at the launch of a three month campaign to promote petroleum and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) safety in the Virgin Islands. The event was held at Maria’s By the Sea Conference Room on March 1, 2016. The awareness campaign is a partnership between the Department for Disaster Management (DDM) and Sol Petroleum and is themed: ‘Petroleum Safety- The SMART Way’. Photo: VINO

According to Works Minister Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4), in 2010 alone 9 spills were recorded, followed by 2 in 2011 and 4 in 2013, leaving the Government in over $700,000 in cleanup costs. Photo: VINO/File

The Minister was speaking at the launch of a three month campaign to promote petroleum and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) safety in the Virgin Islands. The event was held at Maria’s By the Sea Conference Room on March 1, 2016.

The awareness campaign is a partnership between the Department for Disaster Management (DDM) and Sol Petroleum and is themed: ‘Petroleum Safety- The SMART Way’.

The campaign seeks to increase the level of public awareness on handling petroleum products and the various safety measures associated with such products.

Hon Vanterpool said the awareness campaign is a very important step in ensuring that safety procedures are being followed. He said this is absolutely critical because most persons know that the products they are handling have the potential to start a fire but only a few are aware of the appropriate or smart actions to take if a fire starts.

‘Territory has seen its fair share of mishaps’

“I am pleased to learn that the transportation of petroleum products would also be [covered] under the campaign because the territory has seen its fair share of mishaps when petroleum products are transported incorrectly, both on land and on sea.

According to the Minister, in 2010 alone 9 spills were recorded, followed by 2 in 2011 and 4 in 2013, leaving the Government in over $700,000 in cleanup costs.

“Needless to say, the funds spent responding to these spills could have been better used on infrastructural developments and other projects, which would have improved the standard of living for residents of these islands, besides the safety and environmental aspects involved.”

Legislation to address wilful dumping of waste oil

Minister Vanterpool also disclosed that his ministry will be seeking the swift approval of legislation, such as the Oil Discharge Prevention, Liability and Compensation Act, which he said seeks to protect the VI, its people and natural resources, by enacting safety standards to address issues surrounding the transportation and spillage of petroleum products and hazardous materials.

The Minister added that the Act has gone through several rounds of consultation and is currently being prepared for Cabinet’s approval. Hon Vanterpool told Virgin Islands News Online the Act is currently with the Attorney General and he hopes to see it brought before the House of Assembly before the year ends.

“We are working on an act to take to the Cabinet and to the house to deal with some of these oil spills and to address any actions that has to be taken legally when some of them are deliberately committed.”

The Minister noted that in the US and USVI, for example, persons causing oil spills have to pay dearly and sometimes imprisoned, “because of the danger to the environment, health and life.”

“Persons need to be more aware, which is what this campaign is about, of what could happen and while accidents can happen we must be prepared to deal with persons who deliberately commit these acts and this is one of the reasons why we are taking this legislation forward.”

It was stated that the drafting of the legislation was actually started by the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government.

‘Majority of oil spills in VI wilfully done’

Meanwhile, Director for the Department of Disaster Management, Ms Sharleen S. DaBreo said the majority of the spills in the VI were as a result of inadequate transportation or wilful acts on the parts of persons transporting waste oil. She recalled an incident a couple of years ago where waste oil was dumped into the sewage pump system in Road Town.

“The safety of our people and our islands is a critical aspect of disaster management and it is an important part of SOL’s operations. Together we are going to work to minimise the risk of injuries to people and to our environment by ensuring that persons are aware of what they need to do and how they need to react if they are handling petroleum products or if they are using LPG gases.”

General Manager of Sol Petroleum BVI, Liz Wyatt said: “We encounter hazards and perilous situations every day, some minor and some major. Many of us may not even realise that we have placed ourselves in a dangerous situation… Safety is not a gadget that we can buy, it is a state of mind. We often say hindsight is 20/20, but foresight can avoid incidences, misfortunes and regrets.”

Ms Wyatt said Sol has been spending millions to upgrade and replace old equipment in keeping with best practices in health, safety and the environment. “Much of what we are doing you may not see, such as new pipelines, new tanks, new equipment, but it is there to ensure your safety and protect the health and environment of the Virgin Islands.”

Over the next three months, there will be sensitisation programmes on various media outlets, including radio and television.

An expert from Sol Barbados will also be brought to the VI for a training session on April 11, 2016 for government entities that deal with property inspections, independent service station operators and key stakeholders.