Cuba and the U.S. agreed Jan. 9 to jointly prevent, contain and clean up oil and other toxic spills in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), as they rush to conclude deals before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

The oil spill pact, also signed by Cuban Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez Davila, calls for the parties to prepare joint disaster plans, test them and train personnel, among other measures.

Cuba and foreign partners drilled four offshore wells in the GoM in 2012, raising concerns that U.S. sanctions meant the U.S. was not in a position to respond to a spill that could be carried by currents to its coast.

The wells came up dry, but Cuba says it plans to drill again.

"This agreement is especially important for people living in coastal communities along the northern coast of Cuba and southern Florida because it provides a strong measure of protection against future disasters," Dan Whittle, head of Cuba projects at the New York-based Environmental Defense Fund, said.

U.S. Charge d'Affaires Jeffrey DeLaurentis, upon signing the agreement, said it was one of a series of deals to protect the shared marine environment of the two neighboring countries separated by just 145 km (90 miles) of water.

Trump has threatened to scrap a still-fragile detente between the two countries unless Cuba makes further political and economic concessions.

U.S. companies and the outgoing administration of President Barack Obama have announced a flurry of small deals in recent weeks aimed at making it harder for Trump to ditch the detente established by Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in 2014.

The former Cold War foes said last month that they hoped to sign as many as six cooperation accords before Jan. 20, when Obama leaves office.

Offshore