The article tells about the disappearance of the tugboat “Solo Creed”, which was discovered in Angola after the $23 million oil spill in Tobago. The missing tug was involved in a major environmental disaster in the Caribbean. The search lasted for three months before he was found on the west coast of Africa. The investigation focuses on clarifying the circumstances of the incident and possible consequences for the environment.
On February 7, 2024, an unidentified oil tanker ran aground on the coast of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean Sea, spilling oil on beaches, reefs and mangroves. The vessel was identified as We tracked the tanker using satellite imagery as it made its way from Panama to shore from the Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. port. (PDVSA) in northern Venezuela, where it “disappeared” for several days, turning off its automatic identification system (AIS) position transponder.
The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian used open sources and maritime records to show that the Solo Creed was owned by an individual linked to the Panamanian company Meraj Offshore Corporation, which was engaged in the transportation of oil in Venezuela. However, when the T&T Guardian contacted the Melaj company officer, Augustine Jackson, he said the tug was sold to a man named Abraham Olalekan in August 2023 and headed for Nigeria.
Since then, there has been no news about the ship.
However, according to information released by the Angolan Navy on May 11, 2024, the Solo Creed was detained near the African capital of Luanda for unauthorized violation of the maritime security zone declared for the transportation of petroleum products. Due to darkness on February 5, Solo Creed was unable to transmit its coordinates via AIS, but Bellingcat and the T&T Guardian were able to confirm Solo Creed’s current location using satellite images.
On May 11, 2024, the tug Solo Creed was detained by the Angolan Navy for violating the security perimeter of oil production blocks 17 and 18. According to reports on various websites, these exclusive economic zones are operated by subsidiaries of BP and Total Energies.
A report by the Angolan news agency Press provides some information about Solo Creed’s activities while incarcerated.
“Commander of the Angolan Navy, Divaldo Fonseca, told the press that the passengers of the ship claimed that they intended to replenish their water and food reserves, but did not have the appropriate authorization. [Commander Divaldo Fonseca confirmed that the Angolan Navy will continue to develop its actions to guarantee the integrity of national waters.
In recent years, the maritime boundary between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the subject of dispute: while blocks 17 and 18 are not disputed waters, several blocks to the north are.
A video report by RTP Africa showed Solo Creed after his arrest. Bellingcat and the T&T Guardian found video of the Luanda believed to be at anchor in Luanda Bay.
High-resolution satellite images taken on May 18, 2024, commissioned by Bellingcat and the T&T Guardian further confirm this: a ship matching the appearance of the Solo Creed in previous satellite images is seen in the RTP África video.
PlanetScope images show that Solo Creed arrived between May 9 and 16 and was still present as of May 25.
Solo Creed has not appeared in satellite or ground imagery since February 5, 2024, when it turned off its AIS transponder. The new images show that the IMO registration number has not changed, but the ship’s name appears to have changed to simply “SC”.
The detention of the Solo Creed was covered by the local Angolan media, but did not mention the vessel’s role in the oil spill three months ago, and on Thursday 23 May the government of Trinidad and Tobago appeared to recognize the connection between the events. The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industry issued a press release asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CARICOM to contact Angola. The ministry acknowledged the arrest, but said the government was trying to establish Solo Creed’s whereabouts.
According to a report submitted by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund, the oil spill that started in Tobago has reached Bonaire, and the cleanup cost is estimated at $23.5 million. The Solo Creed and Gulfstream insurances have not yet been installed and no one has claimed compensation.
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