Peru Oil Spill: Repsol Denies Responsibility on the Disaster After Country's Foreign Ministry Called on Oil Company for Compensation

Spanish oil company Repsol denies its responsibility for the oil spill in Peru. The country's foreign ministry demands "compensation" for the disaster that occurred following the Tonga underwater volcanic eruption.

According to Associated Press, the said company manages the La Pampilla refinery, where the oil spill stemmed out. According to reports, strong waves on Saturday disturbed an Italian flagged ship that loads oil in the refinery, causing the spill.

On Wednesday, Peru's foreign ministry called on Repsol to "immediately compensate" for the damage caused by the oil spill, The Guardian reported.

The country's foreign ministry argued that the disaster caused "serious harm to hundreds of fishermen's families." The ministry also argued that the oil spill endangered two of the country's protected natural areas.

However, Repsol spokesperson Tine Van Den Wall Bake denied their company's responsibility for the disaster that plagued the beaches in Peru.

"We did not cause this ecological disaster and we cannot say who is responsible," the Repsol spokesperson said in a radio interview.

Peru Official, Groups Criticize Repsol's Response

Officials and Environmental groups in Peru have retaliated on the response given by the Spanish oil company.

Mirtha Vásquez, Peru's Prime Minister, said on Wednesday that the Spanish oil company "apparently" did not have any contingency plan for an oil spill.

According to Christel Scheske, a conservation specialist from the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law said the Repsol oil spill's environmental and social impacts in the "short and long term" are devastating, pointing out that the response of the Spanish oil company "had been weak."

On Tuesday, dozens of Peru's fishermen gathered outside the country's main refinery in Callao, Lima to protest over the aftermath of the oil spill.

Police noted that the fishermen carried signs that read "no to ecological crime," economically affected families," and "Repsol killer of marine fauna." The fishermen were also reported to carry a large Peruvian flag and fishing nets in their demonstrations.

Peru Calls Oil Spill an 'Ecological Disaster'

Peru's government called the oil spill that occurred in their beaches an "ecological disaster," as it affected the biodiversity in the country's protected zones, Reuters reported.

Officials noted that the oil spill harmed the animal and plant life in a combined area measuring up to 18,000 square kilometers around the island's fishing regions.

"Heavy metals from the crude oil will remain in the ecosystem for many years, rendering fish, mollusks, and other marine species dangerous for human consumption," Scheske said, adding that the oil spill will also impact the "entire" marine food web.

The oil spill prompted Peru's authorities to seal off three beaches after at least 6,000 barrels of oil were spilled during an offloading of a tanker at the La Pampilla refinery off the coast of Lima, France 24 noted.

La Pampilla is known to be Peru's largest refinery which supplies more than half of the local fuel market.

Peru's Supervisory Agency for Investment Energy and Mining ordered the refinery's four terminals to be closed until the causes of the oil spill are determined by the authorities.

Prosecutors from Peru opened an investigation into the incident. Reports noted that the refinery could face fines up to $34.5 million.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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