The Peruvian government declared a “state of emergency” on Saturday, a 90-day measure in the coastal region affected by the leak of 6,000 barrels of crude oil a week ago.
By doing so, the authorities are seeking to ensure the “sustainable management” of the affected areas by carrying out “rehabilitation and clean-up work” to mitigate the impact of the disaster.
The Peruvian coast north of Lima has been contaminated by oil spilled into the sea during the unloading of crude oil from a tanker at the La Pampia refinery, owned by the Spanish oil company Repsol, on the outskirts of the capital.
According to the refinery, the accident, on January 15, was caused by sudden and strong waves, the tsunami due to the volcanic eruption in the Tonga Islands. The tanker, the Mare Doricum, under the Italian flag, carried 965,000 barrels of crude oil.
For the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment, the declaration of a state of emergency is justified by the fact that the oil spill “is a sudden event that has a major impact on the marine ecosystem of high biodiversity” and poses a “major threat to public health”.
In its announcement, it states that Repsol is responsible for drawing up an action plan in the short term.
For its part, Repsol considers that it is not responsible for the disaster, drawing attention to the fact that the Peruvian authorities had not issued any warning about the possible consequences of the volcanic eruption in Tonga.
However, the company has developed specialized teams and equipment to deal with water and land pollution.
According to Peruvian authorities, the oil slick is moving northward, swept away by currents, endangering flora and fauna in two protected areas.
It has now polluted 21 beaches, caused the deaths of seafood and birds and has potentially catastrophic economic consequences – depriving fishermen of their livelihoods and eliminating tourist visits to the area.
Peru on Wednesday demanded that Repsol pay compensation to the victims. He gave her ten days to proceed with all the necessary decontamination actions.
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