Statia Government breaks silence on GTI oil spill: ‘No risk to public health’
ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius — The Public Entity of St. Eustatius has issued its first official statement following an oil spill at the Global Terminal Investment (GTI) oil terminal on 21 July, saying the incident posed no risk to public health or the environment.
The statement was released one day after BES-Reporter published an article reporting that multiple sources had described a significant spill at the terminal and questioned why no public communication had been issued during the week following the incident.
In its statement, the island government confirms that an incident occurred at the privately operated oil terminal and says the Emergency Response Team, including the Emergency Operations Center, was activated after authorities were notified.
According to the government, the spill remained contained within the facility and did not affect public health, air quality, the marine environment or surrounding nature. It states that no protective measures for the public were considered necessary.
The government further states that, together with the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, it will continue to monitor the situation. Should the assessment change, the public will be informed promptly.
The statement also notes that, because the incident occurred at a privately operated facility, GTI is responsible for providing further information regarding its operations and the incident itself.
No full disclosure
While the statement provides the government’s assessment of the incident, it does not disclose how the conclusions regarding environmental and public health impacts were reached. It also does not indicate whether environmental sampling or other independent assessments were conducted following the spill, nor whether any technical findings will be made public.
The statement likewise does not provide details on the cause of the incident, the quantity of oil involved or the cleanup operation.
In its original reporting, BES-Reporter noted that the reported spill volume had not yet been independently verified. Additional questions have since been submitted to the Public Entity regarding the basis for its health and environmental assessment, whether independent inspections or measurements were carried out, and whether the findings will be released.
