On the morning of 07 February, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) received a report of an abandoned capsized cargo ship approximately 150 to 200 metres south of Cove, Tobago. It was also reported that a thick, oil-like substance was washing up on nearby coastlines and spreading across Tobago's windward coastal waters.
The spill affected around 15 km of Tobago's coast, around one thousand volunteers joined to clean up the spill and divers worked to contain the leak from the overturned abandoned vessel. The ship was identified by divers as the "Gulfstream", but details about its origin, cause of grounding and potential casualties are unclear.
Trinidad and Tobago officials considered increasing the emergency level from a level 2 to a level 3 national as local resources were overwhelmed and international aid required.