New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanup
New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanupA resident of a community affected by an oil spill at a Repsol refinery in Peru protests against the company on January 20, 2022 in Callao
- Environmental emergency -
A tanker was offloading crude at the same refinery in Ventanilla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Lima, when it spilled 6,000 barrels into the ocean on January 15.
Repsol said the tanker was hit by waves triggered by a tsunami after a massive volcanic eruption near Tonga.
The Peruvian government is demanding damages from Repsol, but the Spanish company denies responsibility, saying maritime authorities had issued no warning of freak waves after the Tonga eruption.
The new leak happened as hundreds of volunteers and hired hands raced against the clock to clean beaches after the initial spill from the Italian-flagged tanker "Mare Doricum".
Peru has declared an environmental emergency after almost 264,000 gallons (1.2 million liters) of crude oil spilled into the sea on that occasion.
The environment ministry said Sunday that more than 180 hectares -- equivalent to around 270 soccer fields -- of beach and 713 hectares of sea were affected, as sea currents spread the spilled oil along the coast.
New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanupThe Italian-flagged tanker Mare Doricum was offloading crude at the Repsol refinery in Ventanilla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Lima, when it spilled 6,000 barrels into the ocean (AFP/ERNESTO BENAVIDES)
Countless birds and marine creatures have been killed, the tourism and fishing industries hit, and the health ministry has warned would-be bathers to stay away from at least 21 affected beaches.
The environment ministry's prosecutor Julio Cesar Guzman said Wednesday that four Repsol employees, including the production and environment managers "responsible for risk assessment," will be called to give statements.
"The damage is undeniable, the company has to answer as far as it can, because this is irremediable," Guzman told the RPP broadcaster.
Almost daily, dozens of fishermen are protesting on the beaches affected by the spill, prevented from going out to sea to make ends meet.
"I'm afraid I might get sick, I'm afraid I might fall or absorb a little oil, you never know, no matter how much PPE (personal protective equipment) you have," fisherman Jonathan Envites told AFP while helping the cleanup operation at Cavero Beach.
Another cleaner, Hector Fernandez, said the situation was "frustrating."
"It is contaminating the entire beach and thus affects several people who come to spend the summer and the fishermen who work every day to earn their living with sweat, with fishing."
Salons in the country have been offering free cuts to collect hair to help soak up the oil.
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New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanupA resident of a community affected by an oil spill at a Repsol refinery in Peru protests against the company on January 20, 2022 in Callao
(AFP/Cris BOURONCLE)
Carlos MANDUJANO
Wed, January 26, 2022
A fresh oil leak has occurred off the coast of Peru -- already cleaning up after a major crude spill 10 days earlier -- during work on an underwater refinery pipeline, the government said Wednesday.
The leak occurred Tuesday during work at the La Pampilla refinery, owned by Spanish energy giant Repsol, the environment ministry said, though the company denied it.
The work was being done "prior to the removal of the PLEM (pipeline end manifolds), used for underwater collection and distribution" between the refinery and ships, the ministry's OEFA environment monitoring agency said.
It did not say how many liters were spilled.
Late Tuesday, hours before the authorities reported the new leak, Repsol denied there had been one.
"We rule out a second oil spill. We warn the population about the circulation of false information," Repsol Peru said on its website.
But the Peruvian Navy said in a statement that on Tuesday, during a flyover to monitor the area affected by the first spill, an "oily spot" was observed near the pipeline.
It consulted Repsol, which told it a leak had occurred "despite work having been done to remove the crude prior to inspection and repair" of the pipeline.
Carlos MANDUJANO
Wed, January 26, 2022
A fresh oil leak has occurred off the coast of Peru -- already cleaning up after a major crude spill 10 days earlier -- during work on an underwater refinery pipeline, the government said Wednesday.
The leak occurred Tuesday during work at the La Pampilla refinery, owned by Spanish energy giant Repsol, the environment ministry said, though the company denied it.
The work was being done "prior to the removal of the PLEM (pipeline end manifolds), used for underwater collection and distribution" between the refinery and ships, the ministry's OEFA environment monitoring agency said.
It did not say how many liters were spilled.
Late Tuesday, hours before the authorities reported the new leak, Repsol denied there had been one.
"We rule out a second oil spill. We warn the population about the circulation of false information," Repsol Peru said on its website.
But the Peruvian Navy said in a statement that on Tuesday, during a flyover to monitor the area affected by the first spill, an "oily spot" was observed near the pipeline.
It consulted Repsol, which told it a leak had occurred "despite work having been done to remove the crude prior to inspection and repair" of the pipeline.
- Environmental emergency -
A tanker was offloading crude at the same refinery in Ventanilla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Lima, when it spilled 6,000 barrels into the ocean on January 15.
Repsol said the tanker was hit by waves triggered by a tsunami after a massive volcanic eruption near Tonga.
The Peruvian government is demanding damages from Repsol, but the Spanish company denies responsibility, saying maritime authorities had issued no warning of freak waves after the Tonga eruption.
The new leak happened as hundreds of volunteers and hired hands raced against the clock to clean beaches after the initial spill from the Italian-flagged tanker "Mare Doricum".
Peru has declared an environmental emergency after almost 264,000 gallons (1.2 million liters) of crude oil spilled into the sea on that occasion.
The environment ministry said Sunday that more than 180 hectares -- equivalent to around 270 soccer fields -- of beach and 713 hectares of sea were affected, as sea currents spread the spilled oil along the coast.
New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanupThe Italian-flagged tanker Mare Doricum was offloading crude at the Repsol refinery in Ventanilla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Lima, when it spilled 6,000 barrels into the ocean (AFP/ERNESTO BENAVIDES)
Countless birds and marine creatures have been killed, the tourism and fishing industries hit, and the health ministry has warned would-be bathers to stay away from at least 21 affected beaches.
The environment ministry's prosecutor Julio Cesar Guzman said Wednesday that four Repsol employees, including the production and environment managers "responsible for risk assessment," will be called to give statements.
"The damage is undeniable, the company has to answer as far as it can, because this is irremediable," Guzman told the RPP broadcaster.
Almost daily, dozens of fishermen are protesting on the beaches affected by the spill, prevented from going out to sea to make ends meet.
"I'm afraid I might get sick, I'm afraid I might fall or absorb a little oil, you never know, no matter how much PPE (personal protective equipment) you have," fisherman Jonathan Envites told AFP while helping the cleanup operation at Cavero Beach.
Another cleaner, Hector Fernandez, said the situation was "frustrating."
"It is contaminating the entire beach and thus affects several people who come to spend the summer and the fishermen who work every day to earn their living with sweat, with fishing."
Salons in the country have been offering free cuts to collect hair to help soak up the oil.
cm/fj/yow/mlr/to
A tanker off the coast of Peru was hit by waves linked to Tonga's volcanic eruption and spilled 6,000 barrels of oil, contaminating vast swathes of sea and beaches. Fingers are being pointed at the oil company Repsol.
People try to help clear the beaches
For his entire life, Manuel Chapayquen has fished off the Peruvian coast. His father and grandfather were fishermen off Ancon beach, in the north of the capital Lima. Asked if he could imagine any other job, he replies with a saying: "I'd be a fish out of water."
But now Chapayquen is watching helplessly as the sea, his sea, has turned pitch black from spilled oil, and realizing that his time as a fisherman might be over after all. "It's a crime," he says, calling Spanish oil giant Repsol "murderers of the environment." "We protect our beach day after day, and these criminals pollute the sea," the fisherman says. "Ancon will never be the same again."
Peru's fisherman face the toll
Chapayquen speaks for all 1,500 fishermen in the region, who are bringing in just 10% of their usual catch after the biggest environmental disaster in recent years, and are furious with the Spanish oil company. One of its tankers lost 6,000 barrels of crude oil while unloading at Peru's largest refinery, La Pampilla, which accounts for about half of the South American country's fuel consumption — enough to fuel 25,000 cars.
PERU FACES ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCY AFTER DEVASTATING OIL SPILL
Black plague
Waves wash oil onto Cavero Beach in Ventanilla, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Peru's capital Lima. Nearly 1.2 million liters of crude oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean not far from where the tanker Mare Doricum was hit by violent waves while unloading crude oil at the Pampilla refinery.
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In view of 21 contaminated beaches, thousands of dead birds and fish, and a huge oil slick that is coming ever closer to the coast of the capital Lima, the government has declared a 90-day environmental emergency. Three months to clean up as best as possible contamination across an area the size of 270 soccer fields, and enough time to investigate the all-important question of who is ultimately responsible for the disaster.
Criticism of Repsol's crisis management
The Madrid-based oil company, which in 2020 generated sales of almost €50 billion ($56.6 billion) in 29 countries, is denying responsibility. Initially, it reported only seven gallons of spilled crude oil, not even 1% of the actual amount, claiming everything was under control.
Repsol failed to react during the first 48 hours of the spill, when there was still a possibility of containing it. Now it has volunteers cleaning up the ecological disaster for a pittance and often without adequate protective clothing. Ironically, they include fishermen, too.
Fisherman are protesting outside the Repsol refinery
"Did we respond quickly enough? No. We were not aware of the magnitude of the event before oil washed up on the beaches. Of course we made mistakes," says Repsol Peru President Jaime Fernandez Cuesta, adding that the plan is to have cleaned up the beaches by the end of February. However, he argues, the volcanic eruption in the South Pacific state of Tonga was responsible for the accident, because it triggered tidal waves and abnormal currents.
Disagreement over responsibility
The multinational oil firm and the Peruvian government have been playing the blame game. Repsol says the government gave no tsunami warning. After surveying the extent of the disaster, Peru's Environment Minister Ruben Ramirez has threatened the company with a €32 million fine.
Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez pins the blame on Repsol
Peruvian Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez does not rule out revoking Repsol's license for the refinery. A team of experts is to take a close look at the contracts with the oil company to check whether there is any scope for possible sanctions.
History of frequent oil spills
Juan Carlos Riveros does not believe the environmental disaster will have serious consequences for Repsol. "This refinery produces diesel, which is essential for public transport in the cities," says the biologist and scientific director of the nongovernmental organization Oceana. Peru is hostage to Repsol, he says. "Besides, many of the most influential politicians here have worked for Repsol as consultants for a long time." Moreover, the Peruvian Congress is currently debating a legal amendment that would extend concessions for foreign investors from 30 to 40 years.
Repsol's crisis management is absurd, says Juan Carlos Riveros
Over the last 25 years, there have been no less than 1,002 oil spills that contaminated the environment, more than half in the Peruvian jungle, over 400 in the sea. The multinational oil firms face few consequences because after all, business must go on. "The fines are ridiculous when you consider how much money these companies move around, and they always have an army of lawyers who get the best deal for the oil companies, so they often even take advantage of the lawsuits," Riveros says.
PERU GRAPPLES WITH DISASTROUS OIL SPILL AFTER TONGA ERUPTIONOil spill spells havocCrews in Peru have been working to clean up a major oil spill that was sparked by a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific island nation of Tongo. The powerful eruption unleashed tsunami waves that stretched across the Pacific — hitting an oil tanker that was unloading near Peru on January 15.
Thousands of mainly young Peruvians, including many fishermen who face losing their livelihood, have taken to the streets in recent days to demand harsh consequences for Repsol. Juan Carlos Riveros is pessimistic about their future, saying that the extinction of species, deformities in animals and contamination for generations to come are the consequences of the accident. "The heavy oil is toxic, people here won't be eating fish for a while. It may take a year for the fishery to return to pre-disaster levels," he says. "By then, many fishermen will have given up."
This article has been translated from German.
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