Heavy Waves From Volcanic Eruption Caused Oil Spill in Lima, Peru

January 19 ------ Heavy wave action from the eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano caused a spill during tanker unloading operations at a refinery's offshore mooring terminal near Lima, Peru on Saturday, according to Peru's National Emergency Operations Center. The spill affected three public beaches in Callao and Ventanilla, and beach closures have been put into effect. A government-organized cleanup effort is under way.

The pollution has outraged local fishermen, who have held marches and sit-ins outside of Repsol's Pampilla Refinery to protest the spill. The environmental damage also has implications for beachside communities in Callao and Ventanilla. According to local officials, the refinery and the local captain of the port did not provide notification of the spill until well after the fact. "We have seen a terrible stain on the sand at Cavero Beach," said Ventanilla mayor Pedro Spadaro, speaking to Exitosa. "We have seen quite a few dead animals and . . . the waves are black."

According to Peruvian environment minister Ruben Ramirez, the spill has caused damage to biodiversity and could potentially have long-term health impacts. An investigation is under way into the circumstances and Repsol could face fines of up to about $35 million, according to Ramirez's ministry. The Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office (FEMA) of Lima's northeast district has opened a criminal inquiry into the actions of refinery officials leading up to the spill.

Peru's national parks agency, SERNANP, said that it is also investigating the impact of the spill in the Islotes de Pescadores group, a protected reserve of rocky islands just north of Lima. The area is an important refuge for seabirds, including the Humboldt penguin. Operations to clean oiled wildlife and mitigate the harm from the spill are under way along the shores of the 10-island chain, SERNANP said.

Source: maritime-executive.com