Peru demands multi-million dollar compensation from Spanish oil company

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Peru’s consumer protection agency filed a civil lawsuit against Spanish oil company Repsol and five other companies, two European and three national, due to an oil spill that occurred off the Peruvian coast in January. The country is demanding compensation of US$4.5 million for the environmental damage caused in the region.

On May 14, the Peruvian government agency said the lawsuit was filed in a court in Lima. In addition to compensating the state for the environmental damage caused, the compensation will help those affected by the disaster.

On January 15, about 1.9 million liters of oil leaked when the Italian ship Mare Doricum unloaded crude oil at one of the terminals of the La Pampilla refinery, which Repsol operates in Ventanilla, municipality of Callao, in the port region bordering the capital Lima.

At first, Repsol said it was a leak of about 25 liters, less than a barrel, and that it had been caused by waves produced by a volcanic eruption in Tonga. The company even accused the Peruvian government of not issuing a tsunami warning.

But days later, the company raised this figure to 6,000 barrels, although it finally calculated it to be 10,400 barrels, still less than the Peruvian government’s estimate of 11,900 barrels (1.9 million liters).

ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

The spill polluted 18,000 square kilometers of an environmentally protected area with various plants and birds. Many animals died.

According to the lawsuit, 700,000 Peruvians were affected by the disaster; many are fishers. About 20 beaches in the region have been closed, and ten companies have been forced to stop working temporarily.

According to fishers’ associations, Repsol had paid €120 (US$125) in aid by April and an initial compensation of €780 to hundreds of families.

Repsol said the Peruvian agency’s accusations are “unfounded” and “inadmissible.” The company said the lawsuit did not consider the causes of the spill or the oil company’s contribution to the clean-up work in the area.

With information from DW