A new oil leak occurred at a refinery near Peru's capital Lima on Tuesday during cleanup of the Jan. 15 major spill, according to the Environmental Assessment and Control Agency under the Environment Ministry.
The leak took place during the removal of an underwater refinery pipeline and the pipeline end manifolds (PLEM) at the La Pampilla Refinery, operated by Spanish energy company Repsol, in the province of Callao, neighboring Lima.
The operation was a necessary part of the investigation into the cause of the first spill. About eight barrels of remaining crude oil in the pipeline spilled out, which has already been cleaned up.
Repsol denied there had been a second leak.
Oil collection along the coastline is still underway. Local authorities have asked Repsol to complete the work within seven days.
The first oil spill occurred on Jan. 15 when an oil tanker was unloading at one of the terminals of the refinery.
The crude oil spill was estimated to be of about 6,000 barrels, affecting about 1.8 square kilometers of coastline and 7.1 square kilometers of sea, according to the Environmental Assessment and Control Agency.
Calling it one of the "most important ecological disasters" on the coast in recent years, the Peruvian government declared a 90-day environmental emergency in the coastal area of Lima last Saturday.
In response to Peru's request for international aid, a team of UN experts on environmental disasters arrived in Peru on Monday to assist the cleanup of the oil spill.
Repsol attributed the first oil spill to freak waves triggered by a volcanic eruption near Tonga. The cleanup of the areas affected by the oil spill should be completed by the end of February, the company said last Friday.
