The ONP began operating on May 24, 1977. In its more than 44 years of operation, it has almost reached one billion (968,859 million) barrels transported. It is appropriate to remember that the ONP was built to transport the crude obtained from Lot 8, but with the discovery of Lot 1AB – which is currently called Lot 192 – the transport business was rethought: Tranche I has transported 30%, while the ORN (which began operating in 1978), 70%. The ORN, the additional pipeline, represents more than two-thirds of the total transported. In these more than four decades of operation, most of the crude has been destined for domestic consumption (more than 680,000,000 barrels) and only 280,000,000 for other countries. The latter, in reality, does not reflect what is currently happening. Before, as crude oil was light, it was destined for the Talara, Pampilla and Conchán refineries. Today most of the crude transported is for export.
At some point, Stations 2, 3 and 4 were projected, between 1 and 5, in Section I. Likewise, two more stations were projected after 9, to lower pressure. In the 1970s it was foreseen to pump 100,000 barrels and even reach 200,000, since the tube allows such a flow, while the pumps could yield up to 150,000. But this scenario never happened, because the volume instead of increasing, decreased in Tranche I.
As 10,000 barrels are currently pumped from the Andoas Station it is not necessary to use the Morona Station. If 20,000 barrels were to be transported from Andoas Station, then it would be necessary to re-pump from Morona Station. In fact, it follows the calculation of very precise sequences to optimize the ONP infrastructure.
Social risks have come to the fore. These are basically criminal acts, such as cuts in the pipe, which are produced with a saw and grinder. Small cuts have also been found in the coating and electrical batteries next to the tube, with the purpose of generating corrosion and affecting it internally, in order to cause a spill that seems lack of maintenance. In addition, there are connections to steal (which usually occur in the desert area, near Piura), from a picket, the placement of a manifold valve and a hose, in order to process this crude in a clandestine refinery. Additionally, there is the intake of the stations which interrupts the pumping operation, as well as the delay for the execution of maintenance works along the pipeline.
Between Stations 5 and 7 there is a lot of ground instability, that is, landslide and settlement of earth, and displacement of rocks, apart from hydraulic action. The ONP crosses rivers 49 times. In fact, it crosses the Marañón on three occasions. This generates a lot of risk and, therefore, requires greater control and maintenance, to resolve both pits and pinholes as well as more serious contingencies.
Hydrocarbon activities in Peru are carried out within the framework of the TUO provisions of the Organic Hydrocarbons Law, approved by Supreme Decree No. 042-2005-EM and are carried out with the prior authorization of the competent national authorities; in this regard, we must be emphatic in pointing out that Petroperú respects and complies with all national environmental regulations and laws, as well as those applicable at the international level that are required to request authorizations for hydrocarbon operations and activities.
The legal provisions in the country establish that all hydrocarbon operations must have an Environmental Management Instrument, which manages the impacts that may be generated. Environmental protection for hydrocarbon activities is regulated by the rules contained in the corresponding regulations, approved by Supreme Decree No. 039-2014-EM; Petroperú is obliged to comply with them in its recurring activities and also in contingent events.
When contingent events occur, as in the case of an oil spill, Petroperú applies the provisions of the regulation referred to in the preceding paragraph, which is consistent with the risk management tools, provided for in the regulations and which are part of the best practices of the industry, as is the case of the “Contingency Plan”.
In many cases, spills generate a pressure drop in the system, which is detected by the SCADA system. This signal activates an automatic alert that allows operators to stop pumping and deploy immediate patrolling in the estimated area of the incident.
Additionally, smaller-scale spills can be identified during frequent patrols that take place along the right-of-way.
The Contingency Plan is structured into three main types of actions:
Locate the fault, stop the leak, execute the first response, recover hydrocarbons, clean the affected area and repair the pipeline. They are activated immediately after the incident.
Take place voluntarily and preventively, without admitting responsibility, to temporarily attend to people who claim to have been affected, until the actual level of affectation is determined. They are based on a constant and transparent community relationship.
Include technical evaluations, cleaning and environmental remediation in accordance with current legal standards, applying Net Environmental Benefit (NEBA) criteria to avoid overcorrections or distortions.
Upon detection of a possible spill, the company’s Contingency Plan is immediately activated, which establishes the procedures and guidelines to handle this type of situation with an operational and administrative approach. These are standard in nature and apply in any scenario. Additionally, specific response plans are formulated, according to the main characteristics of the environmental event and the conditions of the environment in which it occurred.
The response phases to a spill contingency are:
More information here: https://oleoducto.petroperu.com.pe/en/contingency-plan/
It depends on many factors, one of the most serious being the social factor. Although the vast majority of communities adjacent to the ONP maintain a vigilant attitude towards the pipeline, there are people and groups that have not hidden the use of ONP contingencies and facilities as means of pressure for non-industry agendas. On more than one occasion, company workers have been prevented from entering the area affected by a contingency. On occasion, the admission took three months. It is not only the cost of stopping and the loss of oil, but also what the collection of the spilled material and remediation implies. In that case, if it had been entered the next day, that contingency would have been only 20% of what it ended up being.
The repair was quick, but the remediation took a year and a half. The community considered that the longer the oil was impounded, the longer the remediation would take, which would mean more work for its members. That’s why he made all kinds of excuses during the negotiation.
A repair is usually very quick, usually one day. If the tube is two, three or more meters underground, getting to the point and repairing it can take up to five days. In fact, what takes the longest is remediation (between a month and a year).
The dispersion of hydrocarbons both horizontally and vertically is linked to several factors, for example, the type of product that is spilled, the viscosity or specific gravity, the texture of the soil, the porosity and the hydraulic gradient, among others. Oil is going to behave differently if it falls on sandy or clay soil. The clay has a fine grain and serves as a natural plug, preventing the oil from sinking, since the surface parts are saturated and a kind of shield is formed. This keeps the oil in storage. When you have a more viscous and heavier product such as oil that is transported by the ONP, the situation changes. This type of crude, even falling on a sandy ground, will hardly infiltrate as much as gasoline, a lighter fuel. This means that in the event of a spill, you have more time to act, even more so if you take into account that the terrain of the jungle is usually clayey.
Among the techniques that can be developed for remediation are physicochemical treatments (such as the excavation of contaminated soil, extraction of air from the soil, pumping and treatment of groundwater, soil rinsing and in-situ chemical treatments); biological (such as in-situ biodegradation, phytoremediation, landfarming, ex-situ, on-site and off-site treatments in biopiles and composting) and thermal (such as incineration and thermal desorption), among others.
There are many ways to remedy an area that has been impacted. It starts with an evaluation to determine which will be the most appropriate methodology, since there is no single recipe. If the spill has occurred near a road, it will definitely have more facilities to collect the soil and take it to another area. But if it has been produced in the middle of the jungle, transporting it is very complicated.
In the following link we update the contingencies of the ONP in real time https://oleoducto.petroperu.com.pe/en/contingency-plan/statistics/
From 2014 to May 2025, of the 94 contingencies, 79 are due to acts of third parties, 12 due to Forces of Nature and 3 due to Accessories Failure
When an environmental contingency occurs, Osinergmin, as a technical authority, validates and verifies that the cause of the leak is correct. In addition, the investigations of the Public Prosecutor’s Office are aimed at identifying the perpetrators of the reported criminal acts.
Through this link you can request information on the cause of any contingency: https://www.osinergmin.gob.pe/transparencia/Paginas/Inicio.aspx
In this note we give you an example of how the pipeline is inspected with the competent authorities:
Petroperú has never accused any community as the cause of the oil spills, it is only stated that they were caused by third parties and it was not due to natural or operational events, which has been verified by the competent authority (Osinergmin).
It should be mentioned that there are cases in which some community hinders first response or remediation work for various reasons, especially due to salary expectations, negotiation for jobs, among others. In those cases, if an agreement is not reached, through various means, writings and participation in assemblies, we urge the population to contain as soon as possible in order not to cause further environmental damage.
We present the details in this note: https://www.petroperu.com.pe/english/attacks-on-the-north-peruvian-pipeline-cause-millions-in-losses-to-petroperu
Verification of the effectiveness of the remediation is in charge of the Environmental Assessment and Enforcement Agency (OEFA). Prior to entering OEFA, a double verification is carried out. The remediator enters and performs post-remediation monitoring, for which a number of points is determined for sampling, which is a function of the area’s extension, established in the current guides and protocols, to monitor the soil and, above all, the Water.
At Petroperú we have a staff of professionals and sufficient equipment for the timely attention of the different aspects, both routine and non-routine, that make up the environmental management of a typical hydrocarbon company. However, even though internally these personnel have specific experience in one or more of the different aspects that make up the broad spectrum of matters and branches associated with environmental management (including environmental remediation), the aforementioned professionals are simultaneously in charge of various recurrent and daily environmental management and administration tasks that together allow compliance with the increasingly complex environmental regulatory framework of the hydrocarbon subsector.
Within this framework, the hiring of companies specialized in environmental remediation, under the direct supervision of the hydrocarbon operator, is – from a technical perspective – a valid alternative to obtain the best results. Thanks to these, hydrocarbon companies manage to cover, both in quantity and in qualification, the demanding requirements of experts and equipment necessary for the correct treatment of spills, events that by their nature and characteristics can exceed the ability of a company to face, by its own means, the response to the emergency, even more so if we consider the various logistical, technical and socio-environmental difficulties involved in working in Amazonian ecosystems. These conditions, in the particular case of Petroperú, were aggravated by the frequency with which spills due to acts of third parties were recorded between 2016 and 2020, a situation that required simultaneous work on several fronts.
It should be noted that this practice is not exclusive to Petroperú. In fact, it is characteristic of every hydrocarbon company, from majors to regional or local companies, both public and private. In almost all cases, the aforementioned companies seek to cover these non-recurring or daily needs by hiring the skills and experiences of a company whose main business revolves around the specialized activity to be carried out. These companies make available to oil companies updated, expert experiences, of practical application in the field with real and effective solution of problems and without significant increase in workload for them, conditions that the mere direct hiring of professionals does not necessarily guarantee.
Upon detection of a possible spill, the company’s Contingency Plan is immediately activated, which establishes the procedures and guidelines to handle this type of situation with an operational and administrative approach. These are standard in nature and apply in any scenario. Additionally, specific response plans are formulated, according to the main characteristics of the environmental event and the conditions of the environment in which it occurred.
The response phases to a spill contingency are:
Existence of abnormal operating condition detected by supervision, control and data acquisition (SCADA)
The containment channel of Section I of the ONP is an artificial installation built by Petroperú to house the pipeline and that functions as a containment barrier to confine the crude oil in the event of a spill. It also has safety caps that prevent the exit to other bodies of water. It was built on marshy terrain and has a total length of 275 kilometers, which represents 90% of the length of Section I (306 kilometers).
In this regard, in the contingencies presented, this channel has shown that it does fulfill its containment function, since it has prevented the spill from reaching important bodies of water. This corroborates its effectiveness and makes its replacement unnecessary. Likewise, it works as an additional mechanism to mitigate the risks of hydrocarbon transportation management.
In relation to the operational improvements to be implemented, work is being done to reduce the risk of breakage due to loss of thickness in the duct, since it has been fully inspected with intelligent scrapers, the sectors that presented significant anomalies have been reinforced, and Other sectors with the presence of less important anomalies continue to be reinforced, according to the preventive maintenance plan.
Similarly, it collaborates with the Public Ministry to identify and punish those responsible for the intentional cuts that affected the ONP between 2016 and 2018.
Know what the main function of the flotation channel is:
The laying of the ONP pipeline was carried out in accordance with the international standards in force at the time of its construction, taking into account the geography and topography of the site. In other words, in certain areas, due to specific geographical conditions, the pipeline was required not to be underground but within a flotation channel that would allow it to contain the hydrocarbon in the event of a break or breakdown.
The flotation channel was designed and built for the laying of approximately 275 kilometers of pipe out of a total of 306 kilometers of Section I of the ONP. Its construction followed the best international practices available, taking into account the complex geography and topography of the environments it crosses.
The design criteria of the flotation channel was conceived with the purpose of isolating the laying bed of the ONP from the swampy areas and the sensitive river hydraulic network of the Peruvian Amazon. In the absence of this artificial channel, the escaped hydrocarbon would spread more easily, and could reach streams and rivers. In this sense, the artificial flotation channel is part of the structure of Section I and of the containment system for environmental emergencies, such as oil spills.
It is important to mention that there is currently no national or international regulation that prohibits the use of a flotation channel for the placement of pipes and as a containment system for spills.
The ONP is located in the coastal, mountain and jungle regions, and each one has particular characteristics. In this sense, when an oil spill event occurs, the corresponding studies are carried out for each scenario, in which several factors are considered to determine the costs and risk for each operation. These include the time the hydrocarbons remain in contact with the ground before being contained and recovered; an analysis of the type of soil affected; the presence or absence of bodies of water; the type of oil spilled; the availability of resources and logistical conditions to and from the work points; the quality, quantity and availability of necessary operational personnel; and the operational tasks necessary to develop the processes of evacuation, temporary storage, transport and final disposal of waste, among others.
In the case of the spills that occurred in the Peruvian jungle, it is evident that the degree of accessibility and the lack of logistical means to easily access the impacted areas directly results in greater difficulties in developing the works and, consequently, in higher costs of operation.
Together with the characteristics of limited logistical access, the properties of environmental sensitivity of the affected areas, and the local environmental regulation regarding environmental quality standards for water and soil, they make a significant difference with other scenarios, countries and remediation operations.
Additionally, in environments such as those analyzed, with the presence of forests, lagoons, swamps and marshes, cleaning tasks must be carried out with the greatest care. For this reason, it is a common practice in the industry to have large contingents of workforce that allow these selective clearing and cleaning processes to be carried out, always seeking to achieve the environmental quality levels established by the Peruvian environmental authority.
for each of the spills that occurred, Petroperú developed an ad hocevaluation process, which includes both the physical-chemical and biological characterization of the areas of influence of the events and the socio-economic characterization of local communities and their areas of use of natural resources, in order to identify and evaluate the potential impacts on the relevant components of the environment.
It should be noted that these evaluations include a systematic process of environmental monitoring focused on the follow-up and evolution of the rehabilitation of soils, surface waters and aquatic sediments, as well as the flora and fauna of the remediated areas, even after the cleaning activities have been completed. and remediation.
The conclusions of the monitoring process will serve to define whether it is necessary to apply rehabilitation actions, based on the progress of the observed environmental recovery.
The different evaluations carried out to date show that the impacts caused by spills in the ONP present characteristics of temporary duration (time the effect remains until it disappears by action of natural means or through corrective actions), as well as reversibility ( possibility that the affected factor has, to return to its initial natural state by natural means, once the action stops acting on the environment) and recoverability (possibility that the factor returns to the previous conditions applying corrective or remediation measures) of short to medium term.
The different evaluations carried out to date show that the impacts caused by spills in the ONP present characteristics of temporary duration (time the effect remains until it disappears by action of natural means or through corrective actions), as well as reversibility ( possibility that the affected factor has, to return to its initial natural state by natural means, once the action stops acting on the environment) and recoverability (possibility that the factor returns to the previous conditions applying corrective or remediation measures) of short to medium term.
In this sense, there is no report from the Ministry of Health (MINSA) that proves the existence of a causal relationship between the spills and the endemic diseases of the population; that is, IRA, EDA, parasitosis, etc., related to living conditions without basic services and lack of environmental regulation regarding waste management, and not related to spills due to criminal acts against the ONP.
Do hydrocarbons contain heavy metals?
The National Fisheries Health Agency (Sanipes), through official reports referring to some contingencies that occurred in the ONP, has concluded that there is no relationship between the oil spills and the abnormal concentration of parameters found in the tissue of fish sampled in areas surrounding some of the sectors where spills occurred.
In the same way, the samples of the fish tissue carried out by both the specialized environmental authority and Petroperú in the areas affected by the oil spills show that these do not have an impact by hydrocarbons, even in those areas with cleaning work still in process.
The main components of the pollution of the waters of the Amazonian ecosystems do not originate in the hydrocarbon industry or in its eventual contingencies, but in economic and rural-domestic activities of a different nature, which have been developed for a long time in different places in the forests of Peru. However, Petroperú S.A. maintains a continuous monitoring program in the areas where spills occurred, in order to monitor the evolution and recovery of the environments that were intervened.
When an emergency (contingency) starts, a monitoring of the main environmental components involved, that is, water, soils, sediments, hydrobiological resources, flora, etc., is programmed -among other activities, both at the beginning and in its intermediate phase and at the end of the remediation.
These monitoring begin in the so-called areas of potential interest, related to the areas of influence of the contingency. Thus, part of them are carried out in the area where the oil flowed, following its trajectory. If the river is in the path of the spill, the pertinent monitoring is also carried out, in order to verify that the traces of hydrocarbons that may have arrived are in a concentration within the limits established by Peruvian regulations (environmental quality standard for water).
In the event of a spill, it is the function of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) to define whether the sources of water for human consumption have been affected or not. In all cases of ONP contingencies between 2014 and 2020, it has not been determined that the sources of water for human consumption have been impacted. Likewise, the National Fisheries Health Service (Sanipes) has carried out the respective analyzes and has concluded that there is no relationship between the presence of certain metals in the fish of the Peruvian Amazon and the recent spills.
In any case, in a preventive way, from Petroperú we carry out medical campaigns in the localities near the contingencies, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, in order to verify the health status of the inhabitants, and rule out that there could be cases of damage to the health from exposure to hydrocarbons. The results of these numerous health care services reveal that the ailments detected at the contingency sites are generally due to endemic intestinal and respiratory diseases, unrelated to oil exploitation activities or spills.
The operation of the transport of hydrocarbons is monitored and supervised in accordance with the legal provisions in force that are supervised by Osinergmin. In compliance with current legal provisions, Petroperú has safety protocols and procedures approved by the authorities for the ONP, including surveillance at pumping stations; surveillance in the ONP sections through ground patrolling with working groups made up of residents of the communities, and aerial patrolling with unmanned aircraft that have high-resolution optical sensors (RGB VIS and Multispectral), reviewing in detail the 1,106 kilometers of pipelines every 7 days, processing the images with Machine Learning protocols to detect and monitor risks in a 150-meter strip, and an agreement has also been signed with the National Aerospace Research and Development Commission of Peru (CONIDA) for the use of the SAT-1 satellite, to identify geo-threats.
In addition, we have the Risk Study, Contingency Plans, inter-institutional agreements with the National Police of Peru and the Armed Forces, clearing and early warning service made up of the inhabitants of the communities surrounding the ONP, guard services of the valves located in the ONP by community members, among others. The ONP travels through the three natural regions of Peru and is a National Critical Asset (ACN), therefore, Petroperú coordinates with the high commands of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), through the sectoral commissioners to carry out patrols and preventive actions to violate the ONP.
On the other hand, the Communications Plan has been deployed to local, district, provincial and regional authorities, regarding the ONP security regulatory framework, promoting the presence of the Armed Forces and Public Prosecutor’s Office in places with greater exposure to the risk of vandalism.
Likewise, within the framework of the provisions of the Regulations on the Transport of Hydrocarbons by Pipeline Network, approved by Supreme Decree No. 081-2007-EM, as well as the corresponding international standards, it is planned to hold training workshops and disseminate information to the inhabitants of the communities settled in the area of interest of the ONP, regarding the dangers and risks of this transport activity.
Petroperú uses ASME stamped type B metal reinforcements (RMB) (Section R) to carry out the definitive repair of the pipe segments that were affected by illegal perforations or cuts (determining facts of third parties), strictly complying with the provisions of ASME code B31.4. Likewise, it replaces the pipe segments in those places where the installation of said standard accessories is not possible and does NOT INSTALL “patches” because they are prohibited by the aforementioned mandatory application code in Peruvian territory. The list of acceptable materials to be used in pipelines is established in paragraph 423.2 Limitations on Materials of the ASME B31.4 code (Table 423.1-1 Material Standards and Specifications), being the API 5L specification (special steel pipes) mandatory, selected according to the requirements and conditions of Grade X52 PSL 2 for the ONP and ORN.
The barriers and defenses built (flotation channel, river plugs, fences, walls, gabions, blockades, among others) were not sufficient to control the intrusion of vandalism, so the communications plan, administrative and legal actions have been deployed, to motivate the active participation of entities related to the preservation of public order and the protection of the National Critical Asset, in order to strengthen community relations, promote the sustainable and harmonious development of the surrounding communities.
Considering the location of the pipeline, the suggestion to install walls parallel to the ONP pipeline along its entire extension, this would be impossible, counterproductive and prohibited by the best environmental practices of the Industry and would collide with the recommendations of ecosystem management, in the sense that the negative environmental impacts of the wall would be permanent due to ecosystem discontinuity, compared to the eventual environmental impacts of an eventual spill that are punctual, temporary and reversible.
PENSPEN, one of the leading companies in integrity management evaluations for the energy industry, worldwide, is executing the Update of the Safety Risk Study of the North Peruvian Pipeline and North Branch Pipeline, within the framework established in API RP 1160 (Recommended Practice by the American Petroleum Institute) and the best practices of the industry (ASME PCC2, PDAM, PRCI, among others).
At 10:00 a.m. on October 3, 2024, while pressurization and chemical treatment activities were carried out in the ORN pipeline, personnel from the Headquarters of Operations and Engineering monitored the operating conditions of the ORN. A drop in discharge pressure was detected at the Andoas Station and, at the same time, a communication was received from the contractor IS Machines (working in the area of kilometer 11-12 of the ORN) about an outcrop of hydrocarbons in the Pastaza River, at kilometer 12 of the ORN, located in the district of Andoas, province of Datem del Marañón, Loreto region . The BA-19A motor pump at Andoas Station stopped immediately. The Contingency Plan was activated immediately.
The oil spill is located at kilometer 12+200 of the ORN of the North Peruvian Pipeline (ONP), district of Pastaza, province of Datem del Marañón.
| N° | Contingencia | Coordenadas UTM – WGS84 – Zona 18M | |
| Este | Norte | ||
| 1 | KM 12 + 200 ORN | 327436 | 9692274 |
It is important to note that the location of the spill is approximate, since the point is submerged under the bed of the Pastaza River.
The spilled volume was approximately 40 barrels.
The root cause of the spill is under investigation and closure process of testing the hypothesis of manufacturing defects and material failure of one of the four flexible pipes. The technical research process will culminate in mid-2025.
As part of the first response activities, the following was carried out:
It should be noted that the volume of the spill was approximately 40 barrels and that the impact would be punctual. This situation was verified by the OEFA, which went to the site to gather information on the contingency. It should be noted that 17 communities with specific accumulations of hydrocarbons were identified, with which they have worked with community companies to carry out specific clean-ups in these areas. Currently, an appraisal company is being hired to review the places that have been cleaned and verify if there are others.
The event at km 11 occurred in the Pastaza River, which does not belong to any native community or any other population; therefore, it would not have affected the property or possession of third parties. However, in case of any doubt or uncertainty on the part of the population on this point, the Complaints and Complaints Procedure will be applied for its processing, evaluation and response.
In terms of communication and relations with the population of the communities, since the beginning of the event, constant communication has been maintained through the permanent team of supervisors on the ground, who have maintained an ongoing and intercultural dialogue with the residents. Letters have also been sent to the communal authorities, face-to-face meetings and assemblies have been held in the communities themselves, and meetings have been held with the leaders of the indigenous organizations that bring them together to address the direct concern of residents regarding the payment of wages and the hiring of their communal companies for emergency response activities.
In addition to the execution of the cleaning and first response activities (which have been 100% executed), the Company delivered 260 tons of water (13,000 boxes), as well as 90 tons of food among the population settled in the Emergency Declaration area. It should be noted that the National Rural Sanitation Program – PNSR (Answers attached) was consulted on the operating status of the water plants in the area or that they indicated that they were operating normally.
Within the framework of the Immediate and Short-Term Action Plan (PAICP) of the Environmental Emergency Declaration approved by Ministerial Resolution No. 00414-2024-MINAM, a total of nineteen (19) activities were developed grouped into three (3) thematic axes: environmental quality (8), health (5) and institutional (6), which were in charge of the different competent entities of the State and Petroperú, according to their functions and competences within the PAICP.
In this regard, the company deployed the first response actions, as established in the regulations and in the Contingency Plan. The soil, water and sediment cleaning works were executed within the deadline established by the Environmental Control Authority (OEFA), reporting the execution of 100% of the cleaning works. It is important to emphasize that Petroperú provided additional support for the logistics transport of food as well as the health brigades deployed by the State (GERESA).
Petroperú has actively participated in all the sessions convened by the Ministry of the Environment within the framework of the Environmental Emergency Declaration approved by Ministerial Resolution No. 00414-2024-MINAM. In this workspace, the different State entities that have competence in emergency care, including health surveillance, report their progress for each of the activities committed in the Action Plan.
In relation to the consultation, to date there is no report or report from the Regional Health Management (GERESA) Loreto that refers to a death or case of poisoning due to alleged consumption of contaminated water after the spill and taking into account that we have been in contact with them for the deployment of actions in the area.
Additionally, as part of our community relationship, we have constant communication with the local authorities in the area(apus) and to date we have not received any letter or verbal communication of these statements.
Letter to Geresa Carta JRCO-0183-2025_Solicitud de información_Firmado.pdf
We also share a note of clarification:
On March 19, 2025, a hydrocarbon leak was confirmed at kilometer 315+535 of Section II of the North Peruvian Pipeline (ONP), caused by an intentional drilling attributed to unidentified third parties. The presence of the damage was verified by the National Police, FEMA Iquitos, OSINERGMIN and OEFA. That same day, Petroperú made an initial seal with a wooden element and placed a bolted metal staple, immediately activating its Contingency Plan to contain the spill and minimize the environmental impact.
https://www.petroperu.com.pe/tercer-atentado-contra-el-oleoducto-norperuano-en-lo-que-va-del-2025
However, on March 22, the Sinchi Roca native community prevented Petroperú from reinstalling the previously removed metal staple for official inspection, resulting in a new oil outcrop on March 26. Even though a new sealing element was put in place, the community continued to block the works. After the intervention of the PCM and other state entities, the installation of the metal staple was allowed again on April 2.
Subsequently, another hydrocarbon presence was reported on May 19, but access was initially restricted by the community. At a meeting on May 21, the president of the Comité de Lucha de Sinchi Roca conditioned Petroperú to accept demands for an excessive increase in labor, threatening to remove the installed staple. On May 27, a group of armed women, along with minors, publicly claimed responsibility for the removal of the staple, which caused a new spill that impacted soil, vegetation and bodies of water, generating serious environmental and economic damage.
In this way, the Sinchi Roca native community has repeatedly prevented Petroperú’s first response actions, including the installation and reinstallation of the staple.
Petroperú has acted diligently in the initial containment and has reported the situation to all the competent authorities, in addition to maintaining an ongoing dialogue and submitting corresponding complaints for the identification of those responsible. In this sense, Petroperú has been complying with its contingency plan to the extent possible, despite external impediments.
