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The Peruvian government says it is planning to pay a fine to support the Spanish power company Repsol for causing oil spills that have polluted beaches near Lima and prompted the government to declare a “natural disaster”.
Mirtha Vásquez, Peru’s prime minister, told local radio station on Monday that Repsol had to relinquish its responsibility and pay for what was lost, which President Pedro Castillo did. he explained as “one of the greatest events ever to occur on the coast and in our seas”.
“They can not deny that they are not responsible,” Vásquez said. “They are, so they should consider the consequences.”
Last week, environment minister Rubén Ramírez said the company would receive a $ 34m fine. In addition, it will be forced to pay for the clean-up operation and may have to pay compensation to hundreds of fishermen, hotel and restaurant operators who have lost money as a result of the disaster.
The disappearance occurred on January 15 when the Italian flagship vessel, the Dor Doricum, landed at Repsol’s La Pampilla oil refinery, 30km north of Lima, the capital.
Repsol he said the accident was caused by “sudden and strange waves that erupted as a result of a volcanic eruption in Tonga”. The subsea explosion Mount Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai this month triggered a tsunami that hit the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Aerial view of workers cleaning up oil spills off the coast of Peru © Carlos Reyes / AFP / Getty
The Spanish company described the incident as “an unexpected incident at sea” and said it should not be mistaken. It also said that Peruvian officials had not warned of the huge waves following the Tongan eruption.
Earlier, Repsol said the loss was small, less than one barrel of oil, but in recent days the critique has been criticized. Ramírez said about 6,000 barrels of oil were dumped at sea, putting it in one place. more oil in Mauritius in 2020, when a Japanese submarine struck a rocky outcrop.
Repsol could not confirm the figure, saying it was still monitoring the damage.
Saturday, Peru addd “environmental emergency”, referring to the clean-up and maintenance work being carried out on 21 beaches. This policy will be valid for 90 working days. Repsol says the cleanup will take place until the end of February. Oil spreads about 40km from the refinery.
Over the weekend, hundreds of workers in white suits crossed the black oil resort to rescue wildlife.
Oceana, an international environmental organization, he said The loss was “destructive marine life on the Pacific coast of Peru including guano, seagull, tern, sea lions and dolphins”.
The Peruvian Ministry of Trade and Tourism says the missing economic value is $ 50m.
Last week, Repsol he said regretted “not fully explaining” all that he had done to cleanse the oil, but he did not accept responsibility.
The incident has become a political issue in Peru, which elected Left president Castillo last year. His government already had a very difficult relationship with foreign countries, which he criticized for not providing adequate funding to government agencies.
Castillo visited the affected beaches and vowed to prosecute the culprits. Some politicians have called for him to close down Pampilla, the country’s largest oil refinery, and end the Repsol deal.
Free Perú, the Marxist party that brought Castillo to power, called for the contract to negotiate again. It is organizing demonstrations across the country on Thursday and marching in Lima next Monday.
On Sunday, hundreds marched through Lima carrying a placard protesting Repsol’s “ecocide”. Others marched to the sanctuary.
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