Oil Spill Contained at Uruguay's Punta Pereira Terminal

A small oil spill was reported on 2nd July at Uruguay's Punta Pereira Port Terminal during a fuel unloading operation involving the Uruguay-registered crude tanker Capella.

The leak occurred around 7:00 a.m. local time due to backpressure in one of the ship’s tanks, which led to an overflow of fuel onto the deck. Although most of the spilled fuel was confined to the vessel, between 50 and 70 litres escaped into the sea.

As soon as the oil was spotted on the water's surface, unloading operations were immediately stopped. Floating containment booms—already in place as a precaution—were swiftly activated. Both the ship and terminal initiated their spill response procedures. Due to cold temperatures, the oil began to solidify, complicating recovery efforts with a skimming device.

Cleanup was carried out by the Oil Spill Response Organization (OSRO), which had been called in by the shipping company. Their work was supported by the Punta Pereira Port Terminal’s own response unit.

At the time of the incident, the Capella—owned by Reniden SA and transporting fuel supplied by ANCAP from the La Teja Refinery—had offloaded 600 tons of its 1,600-ton cargo. Officials confirmed that all of the spilled oil was successfully recovered within the containment zone, and no environmental damage or coastal cleanup was necessary.