Increasing oil production in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) by means such as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) may be a more cost effective and less risky pathway, when compared to the drilling of exploration and appraisal wells. This is because the fields and reservoirs that would be considered for EOR projects are generally in an advanced state of delineation and there has been experience derived from production data for some time. Considering the scope/applicability of carbon dioxide EOR (CO 2 -EOR), the revitalization of such projects in T&T would aid in extending the use of CO 2 to another purpose, given its useful properties and behaviour, before being emitted to the atmosphere.Five CO 2 EOR pilot projects were implemented in South Trinidad, starting in the early 1970's. At that time, as it is now, Trinidad had abundant CO 2 available as a waste product from the ammonia manufacturing operations at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate (PLIE), Central Trinidad. At present, consideration is being made for the reintroduction of CO 2 pipeline transport, directed to suitable EOR candidate sites mainly in South Trinidad, focusing once more on CO 2 sourced from the PLIE.Det Norske Veritas (DNV) has introduced a Recommended Practice (RP) on the Design and Operation of CO 2 Pipelines (RP-J202), incorporating lessons learned from existing CO 2 pipelines around the world. This RP provides guidance for managing risks and uncertainties during the lifecycle of a CO 2 pipeline, including design, testing, inspection, operation, maintenance, and de-commissioning. This paper will use DNV-RP-J202 to present a guiding framework for the possible re-qualification of sections of the existing CO 2 pipeline network in Trinidad for the reintroduction of safe and efficient CO 2 pipeline operations. The re-qualification process entails the following steps: Initiation, Integrity Assessment, Hydraulic Analysis, Safety Evaluation, Premises, Re-assessment, Modification Alternative(s), Documentation and Implementation.On completion of the re-qualification process, the majority of the pipeline system may not be acceptable for reintroduction of CO 2 . Options for consideration can be an adjustment of the pipeline routes where sections of pipeline network are not in acceptable condition, or the development of a completely new pipeline network and/or new routes.

This paper will examine the response measures utilized during the multiple oil spills of December 2013 in Trinidad including the activation of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) to co-ordinate the responses. In addition, it will explore how successful these response measures were, the adjustments that were made, the challenges with public relations and other factors that negatively impacted the response. Also a discussion of what technological features would have improved the actual responses to the multiple oil spills with particular reference to the La Brea Oil Spill. Managing the response to this La Brea spill necessitated the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) as required under the NOSCP as well as the activation of the NOSCP to the Tier 3 level. A variety of response equipment and resources such as booms, dispersants, degreasers and shoreline cleaners as well as vessel and aerial surveillance were utilized. The decision to utilize Corexit 9500A in the response elicited national anathema. In addition, the fact that mangroves were impacted by oil and they were purposely not cleaned received condemnation. There was major dissatisfaction with the mechanisms employed to conduct beach cleaning which prolonged the clean-up. The spill caused disgruntlement amongst the affected residents. The public relations aspect of the response was viewed as lacking timely, coordinated and relevant information in this social media age. There were many lessons learned as a result of the La Brea oil spill. Some of the main lessons were the need for synchronization of the objectives of the various Incident Command Teams; the importance of having a high-technology Emergency Operations Centre; the need for pre-spill trajectory models prior to the incident; the need for early warning systems to detect oil spills when they occur and the need for a Joint Information Centre to manage the media issues. The spill also highlighted the value of the ICS and the use of the ICS forms and the need for synchronized display of such forms over multiple platforms. The La Brea Oil Spill of December 2013 in Trinidad is an example of the challenge of responding to an oil spill incident in the Caribbean region while also considering the unpredictability of the behavior of an oil spill when subjected to environmental conditions. This oil spill, some 7554 barrels of Bunker C type oil, travelled tens of kilometers from its point of origin dominated solely by the prevailing current during the time of the spill. The spill negatively impacted the coastline of La Brea and environs, affecting shorelines, beaches, mangroves and other environmentally sensitive areas, as well as residents and stakeholders.