Peru oil spill affected space the scale of Paris, Repsol says

VENTANILLA, Peru, Feb 18 (Reuters) – An govt of Spain’s Repsol SA (REP.MC) stated on Friday a big oil spill off the coast of Peru’s capital Lima affected an space of 106 sq. kilometers, the scale of the French capital Paris or nearly twice the scale of Manhattan.

The spill of over 10,000 barrels of oil in January is likely one of the largest environmental disasters to have an effect on Peru and its Pacific coast biodiversity, together with environmentally protected islands.

Whereas the corporate says it’s near cleansing up the ocean, it additionally acknowledged in a press convention on Friday that it should monitor environmental circumstances for a number of months forward, though it downplayed any destructive results.

“The fashions we’re seeing point out that the (environmental) results ought to be restricted,” stated Jaime Fernandez-Cuesta, Repsol’s CEO in Peru. “This I am saying with quite a lot of warning.”

The incident occurred on Jan. 15 as oil was being discharged onto Repsol’s La Pampilla refinery, Peru’s largest.

Repsol first blamed the eruption of a volcano in Tonga for inflicting irregular waves that triggered the spill. Then it stated the oil tanker had shifted positions abnormally through the discharge, allegations the tanker firm denies.

Prosecutors are additionally investigating the incident and have banned Fernández-Cuesta and three different executives from leaving Peru for the subsequent 18 months.

Fernández-Cuesta informed reporters the spill lasted solely minutes, though he declined to present a selected timeframe, citing an ongoing investigation.

“The spill lasted minutes, in no case was it a bigger period of time than a couple of minutes,” he stated.

Repsol has thus far paid 1.5 million soles ($405,405) in fines, executives stated, a quantity that might rise. The corporate has estimated the cleansing up duties – excluding fines – will price about $65 million.

($1 = 3.7000 soles)

Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; modifying by David Evans

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