Repsol sued in Dutch court for Peru oil spill damage

Spanish oil firm Repsol faces a class action in the Netherlands for a reported $1bn, alleging an oil spill off the coast of Peru caused damage to the livelihoods of 34,000 victims.

On the second anniversary of the spill, law firm Pogust Goodhead has filed the claim in a Dutch court against Repsol SA, Repsol Peru and Refinería La Pampilla.

The claim states that 12,000 barrels of oil were spilled during the offloading of a tanker at Repsol’s La Pampilla refinery, just north of capital Lima, causing significant social, economic and environmental damage. Some beaches were only reopened last year but the government says some areas remain contaminated.

“This is one of Peru’s worst environmental disasters and we will fight for justice for the victims. We are going to show the world what Repsol has done in Peru,” said Tom Goodhead, global managing partner and CEO at Pogust Goodhead.

Repsol has been criticised for its inadequate response to the oil spill, which the law firm says killed more than 1,850 species of wildlife and affected the livelihoods of fishermen and farmers.

“This lawsuit has important global implications and should send a message to large corporates that when things go wrong in whatever country they are operating from, they will be held accountable,” said Cécile Rouméas, partner at Pogust Goodhead.

The government of Peru filed a civil lawsuit against Repsol and its insurer Mapfre in January 2022, claiming $4.5bn in damages for the spill.

Both Mapfre Global Risks and Mapfre Peru Insurance and Reinsurance were named in the suit, alongside Repsol, La Pampilla, Transtotal Maritime Agency and Italian shipping company Fratelli d’amico Armatori, which owns the tanker involved in the oil spill.

Repsol rejected the lawsuit as “unfounded, inadmissible and incongruous”.