Currently, Trinidad and Tobago is the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the Caribbean, as well as importing refined products. Since the opening of the SafeSTS base in Port of Spain in 2017, the company has continued to expand its Caribbean lightering business.
The base is located offshore Port of Spain in the sheltered waters of the Gulf of Paria, where vessels of up to 18.0m draft can be safely accommodated. This allows SafeSTS to undertake transfers involving smaller MR and coastal tankers up to large crude oil carriers. Fenders and hoses meeting the highest industry standards are used and allow transfer of petroleum products, clean, dirty and LPG. The base is also stocked with Tier 2 spill response equipment which can be deployed by trained and qualified personnel in case of an incident.
All operations are supervised by Mooring Masters who are fully qualified under Marpol for oil cargoes and appropriately qualified for transfer of gas cargoes.
“The Gulf of Paria is a sheltered, semi-enclosed inland sea which separates Trinidad and Venezuela, situated to the south of the hurricane belt. This drastically reduces working days lost to bad weather, delays which are often experienced in other neighbouring locations,” comments SafeSTS CEO, Yvonne Mason. “This helps us provide a highly reliable service to our growing base of clients in the region.”
SafeSTS now operates from 14 lightering locations in America, Africa and Asia, and safety is at the core of the company’s values. All operations are carried out in strict accordance with Marpol Chapter 8 and the latest ICS/OCIMF ship-to-ship transfer guidelines. Its POACs have all undergone global training and are Marpol compliant, enabling them to work to the highest standards. They all have a detailed understanding of vessel dynamics, operability and logistics, skills which are underpinned with respect for the country and culture in which transfer operations take place.