February 10, 2022.The cleanup work in the sea and on the beaches affected by the oil spill of last January 15 has advanced more than 56%. This was confirmed by Repsol, which estimates that it, in February, will finish the first stage of its response plan, which involves the ocean and more accessible beaches; and in March, the cliff and difficult access areas.
“The progress is very significant. At sea there is very little product left to collect, however, we are maintaining control flights and monitoring beyond the affected shoreline, based on the simulations carried out by our experts. For this reason, we are moving some vessels and containment barriers to the protected areas, after carrying out a cleanup process in authorized areas, taking care not to affect the surrounding environment”, says José Reyes, Repsol’s senior manager of Safety, Quality, and Environment.
For the deployment of the cleanup activities, Repsol receives the support and advice of world-leading remediation companies, such as Lamor, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), and Environmental Resources Management (ERM). They are joined by Peruvian scientist Marino Morikawa, who specializes in cleaning up natural areas using technology.
Support for affected people
As for the fishermen and merchants affected by the oil spill, the company is committed to maintain the support actions until the beaches are suitable for the resumption of their activities. The type of support provided has been established through an ongoing dialogue, in response to the needs expressed to the company.
Currently, Repsol maintains collaboration agreements that benefit more than 2,400 fishermen and merchants in the affected areas. Among these groups are the Ancon District Fishermen’s Association (1,045 people), Ventanilla fishermen and merchants (307), Ancon beach merchants (276), Costa Azul beach merchants (119), Chancay Fishermen’s Association (115), Santa Rosa merchants (93), Puerto Pachacutec settlement (87), and Bahia Blanca beach merchants (70).
The company is still in talks with other groups in the Chancay and Aucallama areas.