Venezuela coastal oil spills: Golfete de Coro (2020) and Lechería (2022)
- Pelicans diving into me came out coated in oil, and a layer on my surface blocked the light needed for photosynthesis, said biologist Yurasi Briceño (AFP, December 2022). AFP (via El Heraldo)
- My shrimp in the Golfete de Coro were depleted by gas leaks and constant spills in Falcón, according to a press report cited by the OEP in 2022; fishers who once caught 40 kg now catch almost none. Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela
- Crude seeped into me at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline, affecting marine life and fishermen, according to Reuters (2023). Reuters (via LM Neuquén)
PDVSA acknowledged a crude leak on the Ulé–Amuay pipeline near the Golfete de Coro in September 2020, and oil slicks closed several beaches at Lechería, Anzoátegui, in December 2022. No volume, cost or compensation is on record for either event.
PDVSA did not report a volume for the September 2020 leak (NTN24); AFP stated none for the December 2022 spill.
Status As of the latest sources (August 2023 for Amuay; December 2022 for Lechería): no volume, cost, compensation or proceedings are on record.
- Fishers of the Golfete de Coro — Shrimp catch fell from 40 kg to almost none, according to a press report cited by the OEP Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela
- Birds and fish at Lechería — Dead birds and small dead fish; coated pelicans AFP (via El Heraldo)
- Marine life at Amuay — Affected by crude seeping through cracks in an undersea pipeline (Reuters, 2023) Reuters (via LM Neuquén)
What happened
On Saturday 12 September 2020 PDVSA said it was carrying out environmental clean-up in the area affected by a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay, the pipeline supplying the Paraguaná refining centre, near the Golfete de Coro in Falcón state. It said the leak had been confirmed by aerial inspection and that the clean-up was run with the Ministry of Ecosocialism after the leaks were corrected (NTN24, 13 September 2020). PDVSA did not report a volume, and no cost, investment or compensation was stated.
The Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela (OEP) 2022 report cited a press report that gas leaks and constant spills in Falcón had depleted the natural shrimp reservoir, and that Golfete de Coro fishers who once caught 40 kg of shrimp now catch almost none. Reuters (17 August 2023) reported crude seeping into the sea at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline, affecting marine life and fishermen.
In early December 2022 oil slicks were first seen at Lechería, Anzoátegui, on a Monday, and several beaches were closed the next day (AFP, 6 December 2022). Mayor Manuel Ferreira González confirmed that the coast was being affected by a hydrocarbon spill and said there were dead birds and small dead fish. Civil Protection director Gustavo Castillo said PDVSA staff at the site gave no information. Biologist Yurasi Briceño described pelicans coated when diving and a surface layer blocking light needed for photosynthesis. PDVSA did not reply to AFP, which noted that PDVSA rarely reports leaks. The volume was not stated.
- 2020PDVSA reports a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay and clean-up near the Golfete de Coro (12 Sep)
- 2022Oil slicks close several beaches at Lechería, Anzoátegui (early Dec; AFP 6 Dec)
- 2023Reuters reports crude seeping into the sea at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline (17 Aug)
What was said
“environmental clean-up in the area affected by the crude leak on line 1 Ulé-Amuay”
“We confirm the unfortunate news that our coasts are being affected by a hydrocarbon spill”
“There are dead birds, small dead fish.”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
PDVSA staff at the site gave no information.
AFP (via El Heraldo)How it looked
Shown
- Crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay confirmed by aerial inspection; environmental clean-up under way with the Ministry of Ecosocialism after the leaks were correctedPDVSA, 12 September 2020 · NTN24
Recorded
- PDVSA reported a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay near the Golfete de Coro on 12 September 2020 and did not report a volume.
- The OEP 2022 report cited a press report that gas leaks and spills in Falcón had depleted the shrimp reservoir; Golfete de Coro fishers who caught 40 kg of shrimp now catch almost none.
- Reuters (2023) reported crude seeping into the sea at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline, affecting marine life and fishermen.
- In December 2022 several Lechería beaches were closed after oil slicks appeared; dead birds and small dead fish were reported by the mayor.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- pdvsa (12 September 2020): Said it was carrying out environmental clean-up after a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay, confirmed by aerial inspection (translated). · NTN24
- pdvsa (December 2022): Did not reply to AFP on the December 2022 Lechería spill. · AFP (via El Heraldo)
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Money
- None on record Clean-up cost or compensation, either spill — None on record.
Court
- None on record No court case on record.
Accounts
- Disputed Information on the December 2022 Lechería spill
- None on record PDVSA: No reply to AFP.
Record
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the volume of the September 2020 leak; PDVSA did not report it (NTN24, 13 September 2020).
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the volume of the December 2022 spill (AFP, 6 December 2022).
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: PDVSA information on the December 2022 spill; staff at the site gave Civil Protection no information and PDVSA did not reply to AFP.
- None on record None on record: a cost, investment or compensation for the 2020 clean-up (NTN24).
- None on record None on record: a cost or compensation for the Lechería spill.
- None on record None on record: legal proceedings, a fine or an insurance payment for either spill.
- Insufficient Insufficient: the PDVSA statement as reported gives neither the exact location nor the extent of the Ulé–Amuay leak.
Did the harm stop?
PDVSA said the leaks on line 1 Ulé–Amuay had been corrected before the clean-up of September 2020. No end date is recorded for the December 2022 Lechería spill.
Who paid?
None on record. No cost, investment or compensation is stated for either event.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Venezuela no logra frenar los derrames de petróleo y quema de gas (Venezuela fails to stop oil spills and gas flaring)Reuters (via LM Neuquén) · 2023-08-17
Communities and civil society
- Situación socioambiental de Venezuela 2022 (Socio-environmental situation of Venezuela 2022)Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela · 2023-06
Connected cases
- Lake Maracaibo chronic oil leaks Venezuela · 2010–2026 Related matter
- PDVSA (Company) — here: State oil company; reported the Ulé–Amuay leak; did not reply on Lechería; there: State oil company; operator of the lake's installations and pipelines
- Ministry of Ecosocialism (Venezuela) (Government) — here: Ran the 2020 clean-up with PDVSA; there: Environment ministry; minister said spills had always existed
- Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela (OEP) (NGO) — here: Cited the shrimp depletion in Falcón; there: Counted spills nationwide, 2021–2023
- El Palito refinery spill into Golfo Triste and Morrocoy National Park, 2020 Venezuela · 2020–2024 Related matter
- PDVSA (Company) — here: State oil company; reported the Ulé–Amuay leak; did not reply on Lechería; there: State oil company; operator of the El Palito refinery
- Ministry of Ecosocialism (Venezuela) (Government) — here: Ran the 2020 clean-up with PDVSA; there: Environment ministry; reported clean-up progress
- Las Cristinas gold project: 2008 permit denial in the Imataca reserve, Crystallex ICSID award and court-ordered sale of CITGO's parent Venezuela · 2008–2026
- PDVSA (Company) — here: State oil company; reported the Ulé–Amuay leak; did not reply on Lechería; there: Owner of the attached PDVH shares
- Nissos Amorgos tanker spill, Gulf of Venezuela, 1997, and the US$60 million environmental-damage judgment Venezuela · 1997–2014
- PDVSA (Company) — here: State oil company; reported the Ulé–Amuay leak; did not reply on Lechería; there: Settled claimant for clean-up and preventive measures
- Venezuela gas flaring and methane from oil and gas Venezuela · 2012–2026
- PDVSA (Company) — here: State oil company; reported the Ulé–Amuay leak; did not reply on Lechería; there: State oil company; operator of the flaring sites