A leak detected Thursday, April 28 in an oil terminal near Port-Gentil, the economic capital of the country, caused a suspension until further notice of oil exports. Perenco, the company that operates this terminal, ensures that the leak has not, for the time being, triggered any marine pollution, but the situation worries NGOs and even local populations when the Franco-British company is already accused of repeated pollution.
With our correspondent in Libreville, Yves Laurent Goma
The incident occurred Thursday, April 28 in the middle of the morning at the Cap Lopez terminal. Perenco detects the leak of a tank containing 50,000 cubic meters of crude oil, or 300,000 barrels. In a statement, the company says the leak got worse at the time of repair. Crude spilled into impoundments dug around the terminal to prevent rapid spills into the ocean.
The situation is currently under control, reassures Adrien Broche, Managing Director of Perenco Gabon: “ At present, the situation is under control. Nevertheless, there are still things to do. Our teams are working hard in conjunction with the Gabonese authorities. Thus, additional floating dams were installed as a preventive measure and pumping operations began today to recover all these volumes. »
As a precautionary measure, Perenco is suspending the export of crude from this main point of departure for Gabonese oil to the international market. The Minister of Petroleum and his colleague from the Environment were to go on site this Saturday, April 30.
Civil society will be able to sue Perenco
This incident falls badly, because Perenco is currently being sued by NGOs for repetitive pollution on its production sites.
Civil society will also be able to sue the oil company after the decision of the Port-Gentil Court of Appeal this week to overturn the decision of the court of first instance. A first victory for civil society. For several months, Georges Mpaga, one of its managers, has been denouncing the repetitive pollution of the oil company Perenco around the sites it operates. ” Today, the court recognizes that the action of civil society is based on real, tangible, verifiable facts. It is therefore a victory for civil society and for the communities who attest that this fight is just and noble. “, he underlines.
The Court of Appeal has indeed recognized that civil society has the right to sue the Franco-British company for pollution of waterways and soils by oil spillage, explains civil society lawyer Maître Ange-Kevin Nzigou: “ We know the extent of the damage caused by Perenco in its wild pollution activity in Port-Gentil. We are going to ask the judge in chambers to order an expert report because we do not have an assessment of this damage. »
contacted [avant l’incident, NDLR], Perenco took no action. Last year, the company had already been sued for large-scale pollution. But in a press release, Perenco had indicated that it applied the best international standards in order to limit the impact of its activities on the environment.