Repsol reports 94% cleanup in the sea and coast of Peru, after the spill

Lima, 19 Mar The oil company Repsol reported that clean-up work in the Peruvian sea and coastal areas is 94% complete and, so far, 18 beaches are “already waiting to be reopened for public use”, following the oil spill of last January 15 at the La Pampilla refinery, off Lima. The Spanish transnational remarked this Saturday in a statement that the eventual reopening for public use of these beaches is a decision “that depends on the competent authority”. He added that more than 1,400 water, soil and sediment samples taken in the area involved in the spill “in compliance with the mandate of the Peruvian authorities” are also continuing to be analyzed. This “for the respective evaluation and definition of future remediation actions”, while on the coast “the international standard SCAT and the cleaning of rocky areas with low-pressure water and absorbent pompons continue to apply”. “At sea, the entire coastline is monitored, without sparing resources in the event of new spots appearing from rocks or cliffs due to the natural action of the waves,” said the company. Finally, Repsol reiterated “its commitment to the restoration of the Peruvian coast, making all necessary efforts”. The spill occurred when the Italian ship Mare Doricum discharged fuel to the underwater pipelines of the La Pampilla refinery, in the coastal municipality of Ventanilla. At first, the company reported that it was a leak of 0.16 barrels (about 25 liters) and that it had been caused by “anomalous waves” caused by a volcanic eruption in Tonga. However, it was corrected three days later and raised the figure to 6,000 barrels, although it finally indicated that it was 10,400, even less than the 11,900 estimated by the Peruvian Government. TAX PROCEEDINGS The Public Ministry reported on Saturday that the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Environmental Matters (FEMA) of Northwest Lima carried out a diligence to raise the PLEM (Pipeline End Manifold), in the Multibuoyas Terminal No. 2 of La Pampilla. In this regard, the provincial prosecutor Ariel Tapia indicated that PLEM, the submarine equipment that connected the Italian ship Mare Doricum with the pipeline that carried the oil to La Pampilla, will be transferred to accredited laboratories to determine the causes of the oil leak. According to the Public Ministry, the PLEM analysis “would consolidate the fiscal thesis on the crude oil spill, which would have occurred due to its breakage or fragmentation, as a result of a sudden movement or a collision in the ship's hull”. Tapia said that on Monday other expert proceedings will continue, including on the maneuvering of the ship and unloading the hydrocarbon, in order to detect the failure in the procedures that led to the fuel leak. He added that fiscal activities will also be carried out to determine environmental damage, which will include assessing the impact on the ecosystem and the economic impact on the community. The diligence was carried out in the presence of representatives of the National Port Authority (APN), the Environmental Assessment and Control Agency (OEFA) and the Supervisory Agency for Investment in Energy and Mining (Osinergmin). Repsol announced on Friday that it had “successfully removed the missing elements” from PLEM, in a process carried out in coordination with the Office of the Prosecutor, Osinergmin and the OEFA. He added that the piece had been detained at the request of the Prosecutor's Office “as part of the investigation into the accident” and that the hoisting work “was carried out following strict security measures, based on the procedure to which the competent authority complied.”