Mysterious vessel causes a disaster that threatens tourism in Trinidad and Tobago. At least 15 kilometers of coastline affected by the oil spill, with damage to coral reefs and Atlantic beaches.
Authorities are ready to declare a national emergency, chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly says. The accident comes 45 years after one of the largest oil spills in the country's history, which occurred on July 19, 1979 when two tankers collided in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Trinidad.