Following the Volcanic eruption at Tonga, powerful tsunami’s swept the Pacific Ocean. Peru, being near Tonga, was hit with waves causing an oil spill at a local refinery. A black mass of crude oil could be seen in the water extending some 3 km along the shoreline. In addition, the oil spill has been affecting the beaches of three coastal districts, which is causing danger to the ecosystems of the marine life that lives there. There is said to be 33 million dollars in fines due to environmental damage towards the  companies of the oil operation. “Work is being done to return the coastal area to its original state. More than 200 people divided into crews with specialized equipment are carrying out” – Pampilla Refinery. 

 

It’s very unfortunate that this situation had to happen. Natural disasters are bound to happen which is something we cannot control. My question is why are there so many oil drilling operations near the ocean. I understand that the ocean sea floor most likely has an abundance of oil but it seems to be very unsafe. As I do more research on Petroleum/oil, I am regularly finding oil spills in the news. There has to be better ways of retrieving oil.