Un derrame de crudo proveniente de una de las empresas mixtas de la estatal petrolera PDVSA fue detectado en un área ambientalmente sensible del extremo oriental de Venezuela, dijeron el martes tres fuentes cercanas a las operaciones. Los derrames de petróleo y las fugas de gas se han vuelto frecuentes en los últimos años en Venezuela, donde la falta de inversión y retrasos en los planes de mantenimiento contribuyen al deterioro severo de la infraestructura de PDVSA. Texto completo -> Milenio

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Oil spills along Venezuela’s Caribbean coast as well as leakages of petroleum liquids and related noxious gases from nearby infrastructure are regular, almost daily, events.  The scale of the disaster engulfing Venezuela’s environment due to oil industry operations is practically impossible to quantify because PDVSA ceased reporting spills during 2016. … . Despite the lack of reporting, independent experts believe that oil spills, waste discharges, fumes, flaring, and other environmental emissions have soared oviromenver the last decade. During 2016, the year that PDSA ceased reporting environmental incidents, there were 8,259 spills, or quadruple the volume reported for 1999. That is a startling number of oil spills for a country that, according to OPEC secondary sources, pumped an average of 2.1 million barrels per day during 2016 compared to 2.8 million barrels for 1999, which was Chavez’s first year in power.By Matthew Smith. Full Text -> OilPrice

Traducción de cortesía -> Los derrames de petróleo a lo largo de la costa caribeña de Venezuela, así como las fugas de líquidos de petróleo y gases nocivos relacionados de la infraestructura cercana son eventos regulares, casi diarios. La escala del desastre que envuelve el medio ambiente de Venezuela debido a las operaciones de la industria petrolera es prácticamente imposible de cuantificar porque PDVSA dejó de reportar derrames durante 2016. … . A pesar de la falta de informes, los expertos independientes creen que los derrames de petróleo, las descargas de desechos, los humos, la quema y otras emisiones ambientales se han disparado durante la última década. Durante 2016, año en que PDSA dejó de reportar incidentes ambientales, hubo 8,259 derrames, o el cuádruple del volumen reportado en 1999. Esa es una cifra alarmante de derrames de petróleo para un país que, según fuentes secundarias de la OPEP, bombeó un promedio de 2.1 millones barriles por día durante 2016 en comparación con los 2,8 millones de barriles de 1999, que fue el primer año de Chávez en el poder. Traducción al español -> Google Translación

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), co-Chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), and SEEC Member Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to express grave concern regarding the looming environmental disaster posed by the sinking Venezuelan oil tanker Nabarima in the Gulf of Paria, and to urge the administration to grant the necessary exceptions to United States sanctions that would facilitate emergency operations to stabilize and safeguard the tanker. Full Text -> Gerry Connolly WP

 An oil tanker operated by Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela on Tuesday approached a floating oil facility where it is expected to receive crude via transfer at sea amid environmental concerns, Refinitiv Eikon data showed. Full Text-> GCaptain

Right now, there is a floating storage and offloading facility floating in the Gulf of Paria off the coast of Venezuela, and it could sink at any moment, sending a catastrophic quantity of oil–80 million gallons–into the crystalline waters of the Caribbean Sea, ranking it as one of the top ten worst oil spills in world history. By Haley Zaremba. Full Text -> OilPrice

Water ingress has been reported on an ageing FSO off Venezuela which is carrying 173,000 tons of oil onboard. Eudis Girot, who heads a local trade union covering the petroleum industries, cited the poor maintenance onboard the FSO Nabarima, causing the water ingress, photos of which he posted on social media. By Sam Chambers. Full Text-> Splash247

The oil spill that contaminated picturesque beaches and waters around Mauritius island in the Indian Ocean made international headlines recently, but half a world away, a similarly devastating catastrophe is receiving much less coverage. Black, oil-polluted waves have been rolling onto coasts in northwestern Venezuela since late July. by Chloé Lauvergnier. Full Text -> ObserverFrance

A strip of Venezuela’s western coastline boasting pristine beaches and fragile ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs could take more than half a century to fully recover from the environmental impacts of a recent oil spill, a researcher said on Wednesday. By Vivian Sequera, Corina Ponsin Caracas and Luc Cohen. Full Text-> Reuters

Venezuela’s National Assembly, the only institution which is not controlled by the government, has demanded information on a oil spill which has caused a large slick to be washed up on the shores of Falcón state. Full Text-> BBCNews

An oil slick washed up over the weekend on the coastline of Venezuela’s western Falcon state, known for pristine beaches and nature preserves, two opposition lawmakers said on Monday, though there was no official comment on the spill’s provenance. by Tibisay Romero, Venezuela and Luc Cohen. Full Text -> MarineLink