Team of experts to examine floating oil vessel carrying a million barrel oil in the Caribbean sea

A three-member team of experts left from Trinidad and Tobago to Venezuela to explore and examine the state of the FSO Nabarima - a floating oil storage vessel is carrying more than a million barrel of oil. The ship said to be precariously close to slanting over and dropping its load into the Caribbean Sea.

The Venezuelan-flagged Nabarima has lain in the Gulf of Paria from last January when U.S. sanctions on Venezuela declared it unlawful for firms that operate in the U.S. to trade with the country's state-owned oil company.

The Nabarima vessel is holding 1.3 million barrels of crude oil, as per the information by Venezuelan politicians and green activist groups. With up to 80 million gallons of oil, drainage from the vessel could cause an environmental catastrophe: In the Exxon Valdex spill of 1989, one of the most acute oil spills registered, 11 million gallons were discharged comprising an area twice the area of Rhode Island.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne and Energy Minister Franklin Khan stated that they would receive a report on the vessel's condition after which required decision would be taken.

Minister Amery Browne stated that efforts had been made to reach out to the Venezuelan authorities to seek permission to examine the vessel.

The Nabarima has caused global attention for many weeks after photos were issued by operators of water leaking into its turbine room.

However, Venezuelan oil company PDVSA issued declarations in the weeks that followed maintaining the vessel, which has a load of approximately 1.3 million barrels of crude oil, was repaired and the water had been drawn out.

The photographs clicked by the fact-finding mission and environmental watchdog group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) which revealed that the ship was dangerously tilting into the sea.

Minister Brown stated that there had been delays from the Venezuelan side to grant permission to allow the expert team to examine the vessel.

He added that scientific studies are now taking place since the experts are already researching on the condition of the vessel carrying over a million barrel of crude oil.