PUERTO NATALES – 40,000 liters of oil leaked on Saturday night in the waters around Guarello Island in the Magallanes region. According to navy officials, the oil spill occurred during a fuel operation. Emergency units were called in to minimalize the damage.
On the premises of mining company CAP, the oil spill occurred on Saturday night. 40,000 liters of diesel oil leaked into the waters of the South Pacific, surrounding Guarello Island in the Magallanes region, on 250 kilometers of the town of Puerto Natales.
According to navy officials, who were called in immediately when the spill was discovered, the oil leaked away when the fuel in an onshore terminal was transferred. Among the navy ships sent in to control the damage was a ship specialized in mitigating the effects of oil spills.
La Barcaza "Elicura" y el Patrullero Oceánico "Marinero Fuentealba" se dirigen al sector afectado con el fin de controlar y mitigar los posibles daños causados por la emergencia en la zona pic.twitter.com/gP3OFn4koO
— Armada de Chile (@Armada_Chile) July 28, 2019
“Terrible For Patagonia”
The national director of Greenpeace in Chile Matías Asún spoke with daily Cooperativa and called the spill “terrible for Patagonia”.
Asún asked for transparency from both the company and the navy, to avoid important information from being kept away. In the interview, he said about the oil spill that “the effects can be frightening” and “extremely serious” for the surrounding flora and fauna.
“It is terrible news for Patagonia and for the cleanest waters on the planet. Once again, we see the risk of having industrial operations in pristine zones. It’s a danger”.
Editor-In-Chief Boris van der Spek is the founder of Chile Today. He worked in Colombia, Surinam and the Netherlands as reporter and works with international media during major events, like the social crisis, the elections and the Pope’s visit.