U.S. Will Let American Firms Respond to Any Cuban Offshore Oil Spill

The Obama administration is currently working to clear the way for private American companies to respond to any offshore oil spill in Cuban waters. Those efforts will mean relaxing the current US trade embargo against Cuba. Under the terms of embargo, American companies are barred from engaging in commerce with the island nation. The embargo also places a limit of 10% on the number of American-made components in offshore drilling vessels. According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the federal government is making efforts to ensure that private American companies are able to respond swiftly and efficiently in the event of any oil spill in Cuban waters. Those measures come after pressure from some environment groups as well as oil and gas industry groups, who have been pressing the federal government to relax some of the terms of embargo, to allow oil service companies to respond in case of a maritime emergency in Cuban waters. As a maritime lawyer, I have blogged about my concern about any offshore oil disaster, like the Deepwater Horizon explosion last year, in Cuban waters. Cuba has confirmed that it is accelerating its offshore drilling activities. In the event of an emergency, Cuban infrastructure will prove inadequate. If American companies are allowed at the very outset to share safety information and offer other kinds of help to Cuba, it can help minimize the impact of any spill.