Canada, US dismiss Bajan energy threats

THE Governments of Canada and the United States and the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (Amcham) yesterday declared that it was business as usual for foreign oil companies in TT and none are worried about the ongoing maritime dispute between TT and Barbados. Last week, Barbadian Attorney General Mia Mottley said her government would be writing energy companies operating in waters covered by the 1990 TT/ Venezuela Maritime Delimitation Treaty to say that these waters were in dispute. On Tuesday, both the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said energy investment and activity in TT has not been affected by the actions of the Barbadian government to date. 

Contacted yesterday, Canadian High Commissioner to TT Simon Wade said the Canadian government has been monitoring the TT/ Barbados dispute, but no Canadian energy company currently operating in local waters expressed concern about the actions of the Barbadian government or curtailed its maritime operations. During recent bidding for marine acreages, Canadian companies made bids for eight of the 18 blocks offered by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries. At the US Embassy in Port-of-Spain, senior officials informed Newsday that the operations of American energy companies in TT have not been affected by the ongoing dispute with Barbados. The response was the same from Amcham, of which many foreign energy companies are members. “No. They have not. Amcham sees this as a government-to-government issue. We are fully confident in the Government of TT’s ability to negotiate and secure the best interests of the citizens of TT and the natural resources of the country,” Amcham public relations officer Lisa Chamely-Aqui stated.