Oil spill: ban on leaving Peru for four Repsol officials


Peruvian soldiers collect oil that spilled on Chacra y Mar beach, near Huaral, Peru, on January 27, 2022 (AFP/Cris BOURONCLE)

The Peruvian government on Friday doubled its estimate of the amount of oil spilled off the coast of that country from 6,000 to 12,000 barrels, of which more than a third have been recovered.

“We have for the moment the figure of 11,900 barrels” spilled at sea during the oil spill of January 15, against 6,000 estimated previously, declared the Peruvian Minister of the Environment Ruben Ramirez on the occasion of a conference of hurry.

On January 15, an oil leak occurred during the unloading of a tanker at the La Pampilla refinery, owned by the Spanish oil group Repsol, located 30 km north of Lima.

The oil slick was pushed by the currents up to 140 km north of the refinery. It has led to the death of thousands of fish and seabirds and put hundreds of artisanal fishermen out of work. In the middle of the austral summer, the tourist sector of the area is also hit hard.

Cleanup crews remove oil that spilled on Cavero Beach in Callao, Peru, on January 26 (AFP/Archives/Cris BOURONCLE)

According to the government, more than 180 hectares of coastline have been contaminated, as well as 713 hectares of maritime area.

“For the time being, 4,225 barrels have been recovered,” said Deputy Environment Minister Alfredo Mamani during the same press conference.

Some 11,900 barrels correspond to approximately 1,700 tonnes of oil.

By way of comparison, the sinking of the supertanker Amoco Cadiz in 1978 caused the leak of 227,000 tonnes of crude on the French coast. In 1999, 115,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil ended up in the sea after the sinking of the Erika.

The refinery blamed the accident on the strong swell present at sea that day after the powerful volcanic eruption in the Tonga Islands which caused a tsunami in the Pacific. Its officials claim that the Peruvian maritime authorities had not issued an alert.

In a decision handed down on Friday, the Peruvian courts banned four officials of the Repsol group, including its president in Peru, the Spaniard Jaime Fernandez-Cuesta Luca de Tena, from leaving the country for 18 months, the time to continue the investigation. on the black tide.

“The prosecution’s request is well-founded,” said judge Romualdo Aguedo during an online hearing, validating this decision.

Crude oil washes up on Chacra y Mar beach, near Huaral, Peru, on January 27, 2022 (AFP/Cris BOURONCLE)

Mr. Fernandez-Cuesta Luca de Tena will be investigated as the alleged “author” of the offense of “aggravated environmental pollution” against the Peruvian State, punishable by four to six years in prison , and the three other Peruvian officials as “accomplices”, according to the prosecution.

“We will continue to cooperate fully with any criminal investigation, as we do with the ongoing preliminary investigation,” responded the Spanish group from Madrid in an email sent to AFP.

“Our main concern is the cleaning of the environment. Repsol is concentrating all its efforts in the cleaning works with the utmost speed to progress in the affected areas”, he added.

The prosecution also said it was “necessary” to investigate the possible responsibilities of leaders of Peruvian public institutions overseeing maritime and oil operations.

© 2022 AFP

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