Inspenet, July 21, 2023.
Last Wednesday, the state company Petroecuador reported that at 4:30 am (local time) there was a failure in the relief system during the process of reversing light crude and line packaging at its maritime terminal in Esmeraldas, a fact that caused an oil spill, affecting approximately 2 km of the coast.
Although the exact amount spilled has not yet been determined, it was explained that it occurred during the process of reversing light crude and line packing from a ship.
To deal with the situation, Petroecuador launched contingency teams to mitigate and control the effects of the spill at the site using heavy machinery and vacuum trucks to suck the product.
Inter-institutional agreements and the zone contingency plan have been activated, involving company personnel and the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out containment and cleanup tasks in the affected areas.
The incident has been communicated to the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition, who are also intervening in the area. In this regard, the Minister of the Environment of Ecuador, José Antonio Dávalos, informed in statements to Ecuavisa, a CNN affiliate, that an estimated 1,200 barrels of crude were spilled along 4 linear km from the point where the terminal is located. He also pointed out that they are investigating the amount of material that went into the sea as part of the work to assess the situation.
For its part, Petroecuador assures that this event will not affect the export and supply activities of fuels and will continue to provide information on the activities that are taking place in the area and calls on the public to stay informed through official channels.
Prior to Petroecuador’s statement, some citizens had already alerted about a hydrocarbon spill on Las Palmas beach, located in Esmeraldas. Images shared on social networks showed the beach covered by a dark and viscous substance, characteristic of the spilled hydrocarbons.
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