the oil company Repsol reiterated its commitmentto remedy the damage that the oil spill on the Peruvian coast has caused to the communities in the area“since last January 15 and also pointed out that they will continue to support those affected”until the beaches and the sea are suitable for the development of its various productive activities”.
While the injured fishermen and merchants are still waiting for financial compensation -announced by the Government-, Jaime Fernández-Cuesta, president of Repsol, indicated that the oil company has been giving support to more than 3,374 people, grouped into 46 groups of fishermen and merchants from Chancay, Ancon, Santa Rosa and Ventanilla.
“The support modalities, as well as the periodicity in the deliveries, have been previously agreed with these communities”, noted in a statement.
He added that in coordination with the affected population, medium and long-term support plans are being developed.
progress in cleaning
Fernández-Cuesta presented the plan for the rehabilitation work that the company will carry out in the different areas affected by the Mare Doricum spill.
According to the executive, the cleaning of the coastline is already 79% complete and now the company will progressively develop a series of actions “with the aim of returning the Peruvian sea to its natural state”.
“The cleanup of the sea surface will be completed this week. At the end of February, the work on the beaches with better accessibility will be completed, while in areas of difficult access (rocky cliffs) it will last until March.”, he specified.
In relation to the situation at sea, the company Lamor, a world leader in spill cleanup and remediation, has prepared a report according to which, as of February 15, 97.9% of the spilled product had been collected, that was found in the sea and on land, for this reason there would no longer be residues at the bottom of the sea.
In accordance with current Peruvian legislation, the completion of the cleanup activities will be reported to the Environmental Assessment and Control Agency (OEFA) for validation. After the competent authority verifies that the established criteria have been met, the corresponding sampling and analysis will be carried out, through which they will define the areas that require to be submitted to a Rehabilitation Plan.
The oil company stated that, in this last phase of cleaning the beaches, the SCAT methodology is being applied, an internationally recognized technique for evaluating the coastline, which seeks to determine the best practices for each place based on the characteristics of the terrain.
He added that depending on the characteristics of the coastal areas where it is necessary to apply these plans, a range of techniques will be used following the highest international standards, such as bioremediation, mechanical remediation, mineral stabilization or different types of washing.
He also pointed out that during the rehabilitation phase, the evaluation of the environmental and social impacts in the areas affected by the spill will continue.
