On July 21st, 2026, during backloading operations involving the tanker Salamina, an estimated 20,000 barrels of crude oil reportedly seeped into the ground at GTI’s Statia facility. Oil spills are not new to the world, nor are they always avoidable. Human error exists. What should never exist, however, is silence — especially from those entrusted with public safety.
Yet silence is precisely what followed.
For days, neither GTI nor the Executive Council acknowledged the incident. No preliminary statement. No reassurance. Not even a basic confirmation that something had gone wrong. The public learned of the spill only through Bes Reporter, whose early reporting — though limited by the absence of official information — made one fact clear: the spill occurred on land.
The community reacted with confusion. How could an environmental disaster of this scale occur without a single word from leadership?
Then came an unexpected twist: a private resident took to social media to assure the public that the spill was “well managed,” claiming to have obtained information “from the relevant individuals.” This raises a troubling question. How is it that an ordinary citizen, with no official role at GTI or in government, could confirm the spill and comment on its management — while our elected leaders remained silent? What does it say about transparency when unofficial voices speak before official ones?
Only after a week did the Government Information Service (GIS) issue a memo — described, somewhat generously, as an “update.” The memo offered three key conclusions:
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The spill was contained within the facility.
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There is no identified risk to public health, the environment, or nearby communities.
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GTI, as a private facility, is responsible for providing further information.
These statements deserve scrutiny.
First: How can thousands of barrels of crude oil seeping into the earth be considered “contained”? Once oil enters soil, contamination begins immediately. Calling this “contained” is not only misleading — it is irresponsible.
Second: How was it determined within a week that there is no risk to public health or the environment? Oil spills always pose environmental risk. “No identified risk” does not mean “no risk.” To imply otherwise shows either a misunderstanding of environmental science or a willingness to downplay the seriousness of the situation.
Third: GTI may be a private facility, but Statia’s environment is not private property. The soil, the groundwater, the workers who earn their living at GTI — these are Statian lives and Statian resources. The government’s duty is to inform and protect its citizens, not to defer responsibility to a corporation.
If transparency is truly the goal, the solution is simple: communicate. Leadership does not require having all the answers immediately. It requires honesty. A responsible government would have said: “There has been a spill. We are assessing the situation. We will update you as soon as possible.” Instead, the public received silence, followed by a memo that said little and scolded a news outlet for doing its job.
As for GTI: your website proudly claims an “outstanding safety, environmental and regulatory track record.” If that is true, then releasing drone footage of Tank 61 and the 30–50 series should pose no issue. You state that you are committed to “best‑in‑class environmental stewardship.” Stewardship requires transparency — not silence.
When I step back and reflect on this entire episode, I find myself facing an uncomfortable conclusion: the government’s response was so inadequate that silence might have been preferable. At least silence does not pretend to be leadership.
