Government says Repsol spilled some 6,000 barrels of oil into the ocean last week near its La Pampilla refinery, which the company blamed on unusual waves triggered by a volcanic eruption in Tonga.
Spanish energy firm Repsol said a clear-up operation for a major oil spill on the coast near Peru’s capital Lima would take until the end of February, in an environmental incident declared a “catastrophe” by the government.
Dead seals, fish and birds have washed up on the shore covered in oil, while fishing activities in the area have been suspended, the government has said. Repsol said on Friday it had enlisted fishermen to help clear up the oil.
“I used to collect crustaceans, but now, when I walk to the shore they are dead,” said fisherman Walter de la Cruz. “Fishermen used to go sell the seafood that we collect. But now everything smells like death.”
The Pacific Ocean off Peru is a significant source of marine life and seafood for Peruvians.
The government has said Repsol spilled some 6,000 barrels of oil into the ocean last week near its La Pampilla refinery, which the company has blamed on unusual waves triggered by a volcanic eruption in Tonga.
The company has declined to state the magnitude of the spill, saying it is still evaluating the effect.
‘Ecological disaster’
Repsol added in a statement to Peru’s securities regulator SMV that oil refining operations are continuing normally and it does not expect an official investigation to “significantly affect” the subsidiary’s business position.
“This incident has not affected the continuity of our operations, or our capacity to supply the market,” Repsol said. “The event has not had a significant impact on the productive activities of the refinery.”
Peru’s environmental agency OEFA said on Thursday about 1.7 million square metres (420.08 acres) of soil and 1.2 million square metres of ocean had been affected by the spill.
Communist Peruvian President Pedro Castillo described it as the biggest “ecological disaster” to affect the Andean nation in recent years.
Repsol added it deployed about 840 people to help with cleaning tasks. Repsol’s La Pampilla accounts for 54 percent of Peru’s refining capacity.
A worker cleans up an oil spill at the Peruvian beach in Ventanilla [Pilar Olivares/Reuters]"Oil" - Google News
January 22, 2022 at 01:42PM
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