Venezuela warns of ‘serious’ environmental impact from alleged oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago

CARACAS (AP) - Venezuela says an oil spill that originated in Trinidad and Tobago, two islands just off its coast, had caused serious environmental damage along the coastlines of at least two of its states and in a gulf area near the Caribbean nation.

Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said late Saturday in a letter addressed to the international community that initial assessments found "severe risks" to ecosystems in the states of Sucre and Delta Amacuro and in the Gulf of Paria. It says the spill poses a threat to mangroves, wetlands and the environmental balance of the region.

Venezuela didn't say when it first detected the spill or specify how much was spilled. The government of Trinidad and Tobago has not commented on or confirmed the alleged spill.

The Venezuelan government requested information about the incident and the action plan for mitigating and containing the spill, and demanded reparations measures in accordance with international environmental law, the official statement added.

Venezuela and the Caribbean nation - who in the 1990s signed a delimitation treaty establishing the terms for exploiting any hydrocarbon deposits on both sides of the border strip - share the Gulf of Paria, an inland sea located at Venezuela's westernmost end and south of the island of Trinidad.

Trinidad and Tobago conducts significant oil and gas exploration activity both on land and in shallow waters, and is one of the Caribbean's largest producers, according to official information from Trinidad's Ministry of Energy.