How a Leaking Barge Became an Oil Spill Disaster Off the Tobago Coast

Bellingcat reconstructs the voyage of the barge Gulfstream (aka Sea Marlin), towed by the Solo Creed from Colón, Panama to Tobago, using satellite imagery and AIS data to show AIS gaps during a stop in Venezuela’s Pozuelo’s Bay, the emergence of a long oil slick on February 3, capsizing on February 6, and subsequent grounding on Tobago’s reef. The investigation links the vessel and its associated tugs to Sea Energy Group, cites prior compliance and spill issues, and highlights unresolved questions about the vessel’s ownership and accountability for the Tobago oil spill.