Two Pipeline Oil Spills Reported Near Venezuela’s Cardon Refinery

PDVSA is working to contain two oil spills from a pipeline near Venezuela’s Cardon refinery, highlighting ongoing infrastructure challenges in the country’s oil sector.

(Reuters) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has deployed containment teams to two oil spills near its northern Cardon refinery, sources and documents seen by Reuters show, with local fishermen reporting oil in the Gulf of Coro.

The first leak began on March 25 in the municipality of Carirubana, near the Cardon refinery complex in Punta Cardon, a PDVSA document seen by Reuters showed. The leak caused a moderate spill from the LOL pipeline, and a containment team responded, the document added, calling for a halt to pumping to avoid further environmental damage.

The second leak was reported in Miranda municipality, across the Gulf of Coro from Cardon, on March 26. It also resulted in moderate damage and came from the LOL pipeline, a second document showed.

PDVSA did not respond to a request seeking comment, and the size of the spills is unclear.

Venezuela's deteriorated oil infrastructure has long been a source of spills and environmental damage, and the latest leaks highlight the continued toll of years of underinvestment.

Local fishermen's groups said they were in contact with the company about the spills and shared photos and videos with Reuters. The images show black crude bubbling out from a pipeline, stretches of spilled crude on the ground around the infrastructure and oil on the surface of water in the gulf. Reuters could not verify the images.