Venezuela confirms oil spill at oil refinery in Curacao

Venezuelan state-run oil company Pdvsa has confirmed an oil spill reported by Curacao's authorities on August 17. The oil spill was reported at refinery Isle, Curacao, operated by the Venezuelan company.

Pdvsa has informed that over the last ten days it has been working with local authorities to control the situation, and reported that scavenging of the affected area is about to finish.

Despite said statement, environmental organizations have asserted that Pdvsa responded late to the emergency, enhancing the impact on the environment. They have claimed responses were drawn 10 days after the situation was reported.

Peter van Leeuwen, chairman of Clean Environment on Curacao (SMOC), claimed that Pdvsa is not provided with guidelines to face "disasters," and the island lacks an environmental department to rely on.

Meanwhile, Curacao's authorities have announced an inquiry into the causes of the incident. For his part, outgoing Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte has stressed that he has contacted Pdvsa and governmental authorities to find the causes of the event.

Translated by Jhean Cabrera