Oil pollution in Peru

In January 2022, approximately twelve thousand barrels of crude oil into the ocean when an oil tanker belonging to Spanish oil company Repsol went wrong during the loading process. Twenty-five beaches were heavily polluted and three unique marine reserves were also threatened. The oil seeped between the rocks and into the pools where local fishermen catch crab, octopus and sea bass.  

Even many months later, the stuff continues to enter the food chain and the poison the ecosystemIt is just one of many incidents in this area where an extraction industry has run amok traditional activities threatened and pollutes the environment.

In other areas too, fishermen live in constant fear of oil spills because there are insufficient security measures to prevent pollution. The concessions are also constantly being expanded. In Chimbote, there is a runaway mining industry that threatens traditional activities and pollutes the environment. There, about 2500 local fishermen have no safety net in case of a disaster. They feel deserted by a government from which most artisanal fishermen do not obtain a permit to practice their profession. 

The fishermen of Chimbote are not sitting idly by. With the support of Instituto Natura, which advocates for ecological and social justice in coastal areas from Northern Peru, they organize themselves. 

Instituto Natura supports local people in their actions to call companies to order. It does research into the impact of the mining companies in the region, she opposes the abuses of large-scale industrial fishing and the new concessions for oil extraction.

Successfully! A law that opened the door to new concessions for oil extraction in vulnerable ecosystems was put on hold thanks to them. The fishermen are also asking that companies duty of care and take responsibility seriously. They want the rules to be followed and they want a compensation pay when mistakes are made.

Maria Elena from Chimbote is active at the Instituto Natura: “We fight together against violations of our rights and for the preservation of our livelihood. We want to oppose this unsustainable commercialization of nature. Small successes can lead to big changes. Citizen resistance inspires.”