An oil spill in northern Peru has affected the safety of at least seven beaches and local wildlife, the South American country’s Environmental Assessment and Monitoring Agency said on Thursday, after the government declared an environmental emergency. Announced.
The environmental watchdog, known locally as OEFA, said in a preliminary report that about 10,000 square meters of surface seawater had been contaminated by the spill from a ship at the Talara refinery’s terminal.
National oil company Petroperu was preparing to load oil onto a tanker when the spill was discovered on the Las Capranas coast.
The company did not disclose the exact amount of oil spilled, but OEFA said the spill ranged from 116 to 566 acres. PetroPeru has not disclosed the cause of the accident.
PetroPeru told Reuters it was coordinating with fishing unions, but fisherman Martín Passos told local radio station RPP he had heard little from the company about when he could resume work.
“I haven’t been able to go out for six days now,” Passos said. “What happened in Lobitos is a big mess. So far we haven’t gotten any response from the oil companies.”
PetroPeru said on Wednesday that the cleanup of six beaches in Talara state is almost complete, having sent cleanup crews as soon as the spill was discovered earlier this week.
In response to the environmental emergency, authorities have been directed to carry out recovery and restoration work over the next 90 days.
Amazon Watch reports that while local authorities have expressed concern about the safety of “turtles, crabs, octopuses, and fish that have suffered severe damage from contact with the spilled oil,” PetroPeru has said that damage has been “minimized.” “I kept it to a minimum.”
Immediately after the spill, on Sunday, the prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into PetroPeru on suspicion of criminal environmental pollution.
“This is not the first time PetroPeru has polluted,” said Rocio Silva-Santisteban, a poet, activist, and former member of Peru’s parliament.
“Since 2014, an oil spill has occurred in Cuninico, Loreto, affecting the health of animals and people,” Silva Santisteban said. “This is environmental destruction!”
