Trinidad and Tobago is thinking about saying there’s a big problem over a spill of oil from a ship that crashed and turned over this week.
At least 15 kilometers (9 miles) of the south-western coast of Tobago has been affected, including some of the island’s beautiful beaches.
Around 1,000 people who are not being paid by the government have come to help clean up the spill.
Divers are trying to find and stop the leak from the ship that was left by its crew.
Farley Augustine, the top official of Tobago island, said on Saturday that the government might call the accident a Level 3 disaster, which is the most serious.
“He said that it looks like we are going that way,” according to AFP news agency.
The spill is at Level 2, which means the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management thinks the country can handle it.
A national emergency is declared when local resources are “too much” and help is needed from other countries.
The ship named The Gulfstream turned over last Wednesday near the Cove Eco-Industrial Estate.
No emergency calls were made.
The event happened a few days before Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival, which is an important way for the country to make money.