The Esmeraldas spill affected about four kilometers from the harbor to Las Palmas beach

In five or six days, or even sooner, Petroecuador authorities expect the cleanup phase of the area affected by the spill of 1,200 barrels of crude oil at the Esmeraldas marine terminal to end early on the morning of Wednesday, July 19. Las Palmas beach is one of the most affected areas.

Ramón Correa, general manager of the state-owned company, indicated that a commission had been set up to assess the cause of the problem, but that they were not ruling out any hypothesis. “If it’s mechanical damage, if it’s an operational problem, if it’s negligence or even sabotage, we’re at this point with that investigation,” he said.

Esmeraldas oil spill affects Las Palmas beach

Correa said this Thursday, July 20, that a report is being prepared and also apologized for not making an official statement a few hours after what happened, as they prioritized “responding to emergencies, protecting citizens and controlling the impact.”

According to the official, Las Palmas beach, the most critical site for the spill, is 90% recovered and tourists have already started arriving again.

Playa de Las Palmas, in Esmeraldas, closed: small businesses affected by the oil spill

Rafael Armendáriz, the state-owned company’s transportation manager, said the spill was caused by an overflowing 188-barrel tank, which had been buried. “The tank was filled and the oil began to irrigate. Below that tank we have a holding basin, which was also overflowed due to the volume and the presence of water (due to the heavy rains in Esmeraldas there was water in the basin) which led to the outflow of crude oil,” he explained.

After the event, he indicated that in accordance with Petroecuador’s emergency protocols, the valves were closed and people had also set up dikes on the beach to prevent the spill from advancing seaward. The contract they have with the Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline has been activated so that they lend them material for remediation and contingencies, as well as personnel who went to the area.

According to Armendáriz, an estimated 1,200 barrels of crude oil spilled. He explained that all that amount did not go to the beach, because part of it is in the pool at the Petroecuador plant and it is already being collected. However, of what managed to leave state-owned facilities, it is estimated that about four kilometers were affected, from the Esmeraldas marine terminal to Las Palmas beach, and this is what has already been 90% remediated.

The Esmeraldas mayor’s office ordered the temporary closure of Las Palmas beach due to the oil spill

In this regard, Armando Ruiz, Deputy Director of Safety, Health and Environment of Petroecuador, pointed out that during the hours they will work to clean up every small spot or trace of crude oil and by this afternoon the Las Palmas area will be 100% clean.

He commented that in the rest of the affected area, they have progress of 80 percent, and if the weather conditions allow it during the hours, they will have even more progress.

He also emphasized that a planning schedule is being prepared, which will estimate the time by which this phase of cleaning will be completed. “Activated staff, teams, will allow us to arrive no more than five or six working days, and hopefully even earlier,” he said.

He also indicated that this Thursday they are going on technical tours of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition, together with Petroecuador technicians, to take soil and water samples to show the baseline value to present the appropriate reports as established by Ecuadorian regulations. “When these works are finished, laboratory analyzes will tell us at which levels the parameters were determined,” he said.