On January 15, while the oil tanker Mare Doricum was unloading crude oil at the La Pampilla Refinery north of Lima, Peru, the ship spilled about 6,000 barrels of oil into the sea. Initial reports blamed the incident on “abnormal waves” caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga, but investigations are ongoing, and the government is “looking at sanctioning” the refinery. An environmental emergency has been declared, several beaches have been closed, and hundreds of cleanup workers were brought in by the Spanish energy firm Repsol. Cleanup crews and volunteers were working over the weekend to help affected wildlife, including seals, birds, fish, and crustaceans.
Photos: An Oil Spill Causes an Environmental Emergency in Peru
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![A worker wearing protective gear walks on oil-covered rocks beside spilled oil in a cove.]()
Read moreA Repsol employee walks on rocks affected by the oil spill during cleanup on Cavero beach in Ventanilla, Peru, on January 20, 2022. #
Marcos Reategui / Getty -
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![Waves push spilled oil onto a beach.]()
Read moreOil pollutes Cavero beach on January 18. #
Martin Mejia / AP -
![A crew of about 10 workers moves bags of contaminated sand on a beach.]()
Read moreCleaning crews work to remove oil from a beach in the Peruvian province of Callao on January 19. #
Carlos Mandujano / AFP / Getty -
![An aerial view of a contaminated cove, where people work on oil cleanup]()
Read moreAn aerial view of a contaminated cove in Ventanilla, where Repsol employees work on oil cleanup on January 20 #
Marcos Reategui / Getty -
![A bird stands on a beach, surrounded by oil-contaminated water.]()
Read moreA bird is pictured on a polluted beach during cleanup efforts in Ventanilla on January 18. #
Pilar Olivares / Reuters -
![Two people hold and scrub oil off of a bird.]()
Read moreBiologists from the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State work on a bird affected by the oil spill, in Ancon, Peru, on January 21. #
Pilar Olivares / Reuters -
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![Dozens of people work to clean oil from a beach.]()
Read moreCleanup crews at work on Cavero beach, seen on January 20 #
Marcos Reategui / Getty -
![A person shovels a small amount of spilled oil from a contaminated beach into a wheelbarrow.]()
Read moreWorkers clean up spilled oil, near Ventanilla, on January 18. #
Pilar Olivares / Reuters -
![An aerial view of two small boats towing a boom, collecting floating oil.]()
Read moreBoats work to gather oil on the ocean's surface near Ancon on January 20. #
Cris Bouroncle / AFP / Getty -
![Two workers stand near a cliff as sea birds fly nearby.]()
Read moreBirds fly as workers clean oil from Cavero beach on January 21. #
Martin Mejia / AP -
![A cleanup worker carries two large buckets filled with spilled oil, on a rocky shoreline.]()
Read moreCleaning teams work to remove oil from the shoreline in the province of Callao on January 20. #
Klebher Vasquez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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![A half-dozen workers transport spilled oil by bucket into waiting barrels.]()
Read moreWorkers remove oil from Cavero beach on January 21. #
Martin Mejia / AP -
![About a dozen cleanup workers stand in shallow water, carrying a cage with a single sea bird inside.]()
Read moreCleaning teams rescue a sea bird during oil-removal work on January 20. #
Klebher Vasquez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![A person holds an oil-fouled bird wrapped in soft material.]()
Read moreA Repsol employee holds a rescued "piquero," or Peruvian booby, that was affected by the oil spill on Cavero beach, on January 20. #
Marcos Reategui / Getty -
![Waves crash near a shore, covered in floating oil.]()
Read moreSpilled oil covers the shore at Cavero beach on January 17. #
Martin Mejia / AP -
![A cleanup crew works on a rocky shore that has been covered in spilled oil.]()
Read moreCleaning teams work to remove oil in the province of Callao on January 20. #
Klebher Vasquez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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![Cleaning crews work to remove oil from a beach.]()
Read moreCleaning crews work to remove oil from a beach in Ancon on January 20. #
Cris Bouroncle / AFP / Getty -
![A boat positions a floating oil boom in calm water.]()
Read moreFloating barriers are set up to protect beaches from drifting oil near Ancon, on January 21. #
Cris Bouroncle / AFP / Getty -
![Dozens of cleanup workers are seen at the water's edge along a broad beach.]()
Read moreCleanup work takes place on a beach in Ventanilla on January 18. #
Pilar Olivares / Reuters -
![A worker carries oil-fouled material across a polluted beach.]()
Read moreA worker carries oil-fouled material across a polluted beach in Ventanilla on January 18. #
Pilar Olivares / Reuters
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