Beijing News Express (reporter Hou Wuting) affected by the undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga, Peruvian oil spill, the Peruvian government called it an "ecological disaster" and triggered protests by local fishermen. Peru's environment minister, Rubin Ramirez, has previously said about 6,000 barrels of oil have leaked.
On January 19, 2022, local time, in the Bentania region of Peru, the waves caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga,Haiti caused an oil spill, polluting the beach, and staff were cleaning up the beach. Figure/IC photo
Peru's civil defense ministry said in a press release that on January 16, local time, a ship was loading oil into the La Pampilla refinery of Spain's Lepsol Company on the Pacific coast, while the strong waves caused by the volcanic eruption hit the ship and triggered an oil spill. The site is about 10,000 kilometers away from the eruption point of the Tonga submarine volcano.
According to Reuters, the La Pampira refinery is peru's largest refinery, and more than half of the local fuel market's supply comes from it.
In addition, according to the Associated Press, on January 18, local time, dozens of fishermen gathered outside the refinery in The Peruvian province of Callao to protest. They held up a huge Peruvian flag, fishing net and slogans that read, "Say No to Ecological Crimes, "Marine Animal Killer Lepsol," and so on.
"It's a massacre of aquatic biodiversity." Roberto Espinoza, a local fisherman leader, said: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have no contingency plan, it is the sea that feeds us. ”
Peru's Energy and Mining Investment Supervision Agency (Osinergmin) said in a statement that it had ordered the closure of one of the refinery's four terminals and that the shutdown would continue until the cause of the spill was confirmed.
Peru's foreign ministry noted that the oil spill has damaged animal and plant life in protected areas around about 18,000 square kilometers of islands and fishing areas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru has requested the Spanish company Lepsol to bear liability for damages in respect of the accident.
"This is the worst ecological disaster that has occurred around Lima in recent times, seriously harming the interests of hundreds of fishermen's families. The Spanish company Lepsol must immediately compensate for the loss. ”
On 14 and 15 January, a violent eruption of the submarine volcano on the island of Aha Apai in Tongahun triggered a transoceanic tsunami that caused catastrophic damage to Tonga, which has killed 3 people and injured some people, and the number of casualties is likely to increase in the future.
Beijing News reporter Hou Wuting
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