Oistins vendors hopeful as business resumes after oil spill

Vendors at Oistins Bay Garden are optimistic that sales will rebound quickly following a temporary halt in operations due to the recent oil spill in the area.

On Saturday night, the National Cultural Foundation proceeded with its Sweet Street Lime, while the Bay Garden’s flagship event, Oistins is on Fire, is set to take place on Monday.

Chairman of the Oistins Bay Garden Inc., Kemar Harris, described the spill as a scary experience.

“This place could have gone up in flames, and I was very cautious…and I was scared.”

Harris, who was seen in a widely circulated video issuing safety instructions, said he remained in close contact with his deputy throughout the incident. He described the situation as “very hard and frightening”.

As a safety measure and following advice from the Ministry of Health and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the Bay Garden and nearby businesses were shut down on Friday morning.

“The Oistins Bay Garden and businesses in the surrounding area were disturbed. It was an act of caution… We always maintain, as a collective body, that we prefer to be safe than sorry. Prevention is always better than cure,” he explained.

Although the shutdown resulted in lost sales, Harris commended the swift response by technical teams, including the Barbados National Energy Company Ltd. (BNECL), who contained the spill and facilitated a partial reopening later that evening.

“We were able to open in the later half [of the day], about 6:30 or so,” he noted. “Business was not what it would have customarily been.”

Harris said the disruption underscored the importance of emergency preparedness. “COVID-19 has taught us a different practice and life of business: to always be prepared for anything… That’s an approach that this association has stuck with its vendors.”

He expressed sincere gratitude to all those involved in the response. “We sincerely thank the ministries, too numerous to mention, and all technical teams that came out. The BNECL has been in a lot of dialogue and discussions with us, so there’s no friction between us.”

The group chairman said communication has remained active between vendors, police, and health officials since the incident.

“We are eternally grateful that the situation is not worse than what it is. It has been manageable,” he said. (SZB)