Heritage Petroleum said there is currently no evidence to support reports of large amounts of hydrocarbons in the sea following an alleged incident said to have originated in Trinidad and Tobago.
In a statement issued Friday, the company said it was alerted to a possible marine hydrocarbon sighting at 8:48 a.m. and immediately launched an investigation after concerns were raised by Venezuelan authorities.
Heritage said field inspections across its operations revealed no abnormalities, while a review of its online monitoring systems confirmed all operating parameters were normal.
The company also contacted other operators along the west coast, who reported no irregularities, and deployed vessel surveillance across its assets, which likewise found no signs of any incident.
Heritage said it is continuing to work with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, whose surveillance efforts have also reported no abnormalities.
The company said investigations are ongoing and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Read full statement below:
Heritage Petroleum Company Limited (Heritage) was informed of a possible marine sighting of hydrocarbon today (Friday 12th June 2026) at 8:48 AM. In response to a statement from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela regarding a possible incident originating in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Heritage confirms that immediate actions were taken to investigate the allegation.
Heritage conducted field checks throughout its operations. No abnormalities were reported, and a review of the SCADA (online monitoring system) confirmed all parameters were normal.
Other operators along the west coast were contacted; no reports of any irregularities were received. Additionally, vessel surveillance was immediately dispatched across all company assets, resulting in a report of no abnormalities.
The company is also liaising with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard on their surveillance. No abnormalities have been reported from their survey.
Currently, there is no evidence to support the presence of large amounts of hydrocarbon in the sea. We continue to investigate and await further information from the dispatched aerial, vessel, and ground-based surveillance.
Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.