The spill on January 15, described as an “ecological disaster” by the Peruvian government, occurred while the Italian-flagged tanker “Mare Doricum” was unloading crude oil at the La Pampilla refinery in Ventanilla, 30 km north of Lima, owned by the Spanish oil company Repsol.
Some 150 people, mostly fishermen, participated in a protest against the company on Tuesday in front of the Spanish embassy in Lima, AFP journalists observed.
According to the company, the accident was due to the “uncontrolled movement” of the ship that was unloading the crude oil in an underwater pipeline of the refinery due to the waves caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
“We continue to find dead birds affected by the oil after two months of the spill,” Deyvis Huamán, a person in charge of the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (Sernanp), which depends on the Ministry of the Environment, told AFP.
“The dead birds are taken to the Cayetano Heredia University [en Lima] to determine the causes of his death with an autopsy,” he added.
Huamán explained that “the incidence of hydrocarbons has decreased on the beaches” after the cleaning work carried out by the Spanish company.
According to Sernanp, 349 dead birds have been found as of March 4.
In addition, “78 birds have been rescued [vivas]which have been transferred and delivered to the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor) for veterinary care and subsequent recovery” in a Lima zoo, the official said.
The affected birds nested mainly in the Reserved Zone of Ancón, north of Ventanilla, and in the National Reserve of the System of Guaneras Islands, Islets and Points of Peru.
Among the species most affected by the spill are the boobies, guanay and Humboldt penguin, a species in danger of extinction
– “We are on the street” –
The black oil stain was dragged by sea currents to the north up to 140 km from the refinery, according to the prosecution, causing the death of an undetermined number of fish, birds and marine mammals.
In addition, it temporarily put thousands of artisanal fishermen out of work and caused the closure of fish and seafood restaurants.
The Peruvian government estimates that at least 5,000 fishermen and merchants from the districts of Ancón, Santa Rosa, Ventanilla, Aucallama and Chancay were affected by the oil spill.
“The spill killed our source of work. Now we are practically on the streets,” the president of the Ventanilla Artisanal Fishermen’s Association, Miguel Ángel Núñez, told AFP.
Núñez indicated that the only support they received from the company was a bonus of 500 soles (125 dollars) delivered on January 21.
“We are making common pots and living on donations and some savings we had,” said the leader of the Cavero, Bahía Blanca and Costa Azul beaches in Ventanilla, the most affected by the spill.
– Reopening of beaches –
According to Repsol, the cleanup work in the sea and the north coast of Lima is more than 92% complete.
“We have 16 beaches, which are already clean, and we are awaiting their reopening for public use,” the company said in a statement this weekend.
The Ministry of the Environment calculates that the spill impacted at least 1,400 hectares of sea and land, and some 500 hectares of protected marine fauna reserves.
The Environment Minister, Modesto Montoya, confirmed that the government will not give any bonus to those affected by the spill, but specified that the company will give them an advance of 3,000 soles (about 750 dollars) of compensation.
Eight Repsol executives are legally prohibited from leaving the country due to the incident, including the president of Repsol Peru, the Spaniard Jaime Fernández-Cuesta Luca de Tena. The rest are Peruvian.
