Oil pollution in Peru

Context

On 15 January, an oil tanker was unloading its cargo at an unloading buoy at the La Pampilla refinery north of Lima in Peru when it was hit by strong waves triggered by a recent volcanic eruption in the Tonga Islands.

The tanker's movements caused a spill at the loading line. The vessel remained under surveillance by the Peruvian Coast Guard more than a week after the incident and was not authorised to set sail while the authorities completed their investigation.

The volume of oil released was estimated at 6,000 barrels (just under 1,000 m3).

At the time of writing, around twenty beaches have been polluted to varying degrees.

On 21 January, the Peruvian government declared a 90-day "environmental emergency" in the affected coastal area.

On 24 January, the Peruvian authorities requested international assistance, seeking expert advice.

The Peruvian courts opened an environmental pollution investigation against the refinery's managers, with fines that could reach up to 34.5 million dollars.

Offshore pollution and response

Response operations began at sea, with more than 110 vessels taking part in offshore recovery operations. The oil was recovered using skimmers.

There are two sensitive areas not far from the spill location: Las Islotes Grupo de Pescadores de la Reserva Nacional Sistema de Islas and the Zona Reservada Ancón.

4,440 metres of containment booms were deployed and 10,000 m3 of polluted sand collected.

A second spill at the same refinery, estimated at 8 barrels (just over 1 m³), was confirmed on 26 January to have occurred at a pipeline during repair operations.

Onshore pollution and response

According to press releases issued by Repsol on 27 January 2022, 2,200 people and 300 military personnel equipped with PPE, shovels and bins were on site for shoreline clean-up operations.

On 27 January, the Peruvian government announced that it would be recruiting volunteers to help clean up the oiled coastline, and that it would be managing response operations to minimise environmental damage during these operations.

The Peruvian National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP) announced on its website that daily clean-up and oil recovery operations were being carried out at sea in the Pocitas beach area of the Ancón protected area, using two skimmers, by a permanent team of around 15 specialists and SERNANP park rangers. It mentioned that a wildlife rescue team had also been set up in the Islotes de Pescadores region, as many birds and fish had been contaminated.

The region's small-scale fisheries were also affected by this spill, which put the fishermen out of work.

Action by Cedre

Following a request from the United Nations (UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit), via the ERCC (Emergency Response Coordination Centre), Cedre immediately responded by proposing two experts in water pollution assessment and the behaviour of pollutants in the aquatic environment.

Following discussions with the Peruvian authorities, their application was accepted on the evening of Monday 24 January.

On 25 January 2022, they left for Lima, where they joined a UN-coordinated mission comprising 9 experts. They were scheduled to be on site until 8 February.