On December 20, 2024, Peru’s state-owned petroleum enterprise, Petroperú, was performing pre-shipping operations from the Talara Refinery’s underwater terminal when technicians detected a leak. The resulting oil spill rapidly spread north along the coast, blanketing the ocean and beaches with crude oil. While Petroperú initially claimed that the spill impacted approximately 10,000 square meters of seawater and 10 kilometers of coastline, a later report by the Organismo de Evaluación y Fiscalización Ambiental (OEFA) revealed far greater damage: over 471,400 square meters of seawater and 47 kilometers of coastline was affected, stretching from the Talara Refinery to Cabo Blanco.
December 21, 2024 | Local residents arrive at Las Capullanas, a cultural heritage site near Lobitos after fishers noticed crude oil in the sea, to find the spill extending for miles along the coast, smothering crabs and other intertidal marine life. © Henry Espinoza Panta
Map showing the area affected by the oil spill. Source: Ministerio de Ambiente (MINAM, Peru)
In response, the Peruvian government declared a 90-day environmental emergency to facilitate recovery and remediation efforts. Over 2,000 small-scale fishers are impacted by the spill.
Lobitos, a remote fishing village located between the refinery and Cabo Blanco, was heavily impacted. While Petroperú operates within the area, no local residents are employed by the company, and the community has endured years of deteriorating infrastructure, including a lack of running water and an open sewer system. The spill desecrated Las Capullanas, an ancient cultural heritage site with sea caves that are central to Lobitos’ traditions and legends.
The extent of the contamination of marine ecosystems remains unclear though fishers have noticed a decline in fish populations in comparison to normal seasonal harvests, directly jeopardizing the livelihoods of fishers who rely on daily catches. Additionally, the spill has deterred tourism in the region, further exacerbating economic hardships for families dependent on both fishing and tourism.
To address the spill, Petroperú hired local fishers, including young people, to clean up the oil for just $20 USD per day—without providing proper safety equipment or training. After protests from community members, minimal safety measures were employed. Petroperú terminated cleanup efforts after a few weeks. Concerns persist regarding the adequacy of their response and the long-term impact on marine ecosystems and small-scale fisheries.
Exacerbating the situation, and amid negotiations with Petroperú to assess damages, a massive swell struck the Lobitos fishing pier, destroying 16 fishing boats, which lack proper rope to anchor them. The incident left the fishing families without the means to sustain their livelihoods, jeopardizing their food security, and threatening their fishing identity since they cannot go out to fish. Currently, Petroperú is compensating families affected by the spill with roughly $80 USD per week to buy groceries in Talara, a town about an hour away.
December 27, 2024, | Fishers struggle to rescue their boats both in the sea and at the Lobitos landing site as massive waves crash through the fishing pier and on the beach. A total of 16 fishing boats would be lost to the swell which took the community by surprise as fishers were in negotiations with PetroPeru at the time the swell hit. © Emi Koch