Third Oil Spill from Venezuelan Refinery Pollutes Golfo Triste

Over the past decade, Venezuela’s petroleum industry has gained a troubling reputation for frequent oil spills, largely due to ongoing economic difficulties. The most recent spill from an aging refinery has reportedly polluted a vast area of Venezuela’s coastal waters, tainting beaches near a prominent nature reserve.

Satellite images suggest that the oil slick spans approximately 90 square miles within the Golfo Triste, an embayment located roughly 80 nautical miles west of Caracas. The slick is nearing the borders of Parque Nacional Morrocoy, a renowned area known for its unspoiled mangrove coastline.

The source of the spill is believed to be PDVSA’s El Palito refinery, situated on the bay’s southern shore.

Constructed in the 1950s, El Palito has a production capacity of around 150,000 barrels per day.

The last significant spill at El Palito occurred in December 2023, when heavy rainfall led to the overflow of waste lagoons, resulting in sludge being discharged into the sea. A previous spill in July 2020 caused tar-like crude oil to contaminate Parque Nacional Morrocoy. Biologist Julia Alvarez remarked at the time that the damage from that spill could take 50 years or more to fully heal.

Image credit: PDVSA El Papito