2020 El Palito oil spill

Oil spill in Venezuela

El Palito oil spill
El Palito refinery, where the spill occurred
Location	El Palito refinery, Carabobo Carabobo state, Venezuela
Date	July 2020
Cause
Operator	Petróleos de Venezuela
Spill characteristics

The El Palito oil spill was an oil spill that occurred at the El Palito refinery, Venezuela, in July 2020.

Oil spill

The spill was estimated to be 25 thousand oil barrels into the Triste Gulf due to malfunctions in the cooler of the heat exchanger systems that use seawater to lower the pressure. In an attempt to double production from 20,000 to 40,000 daily oil barrels to 61,500 at the catalytic cracking and 87,500 bpd at the distillation tower, "multiple leaks" developed. The refinery had been unable to produce gasoline for several weeks. Experts argue that this was the tenth shutdown of the refinery in three months. The spill reached the eastern coast of Falcón State and Morrocoy National Park.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Aftermath

Another spill occurred in February 2021.^[4]

References

^ "Derrame de petróleo en Venezuela: "El mundo está preocupado por el de isla Mauricio pero en Venezuela hay uno el doble de grande"". BBC Mundo. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
^ "25.000 barriles han ido a la costa: Intentos de reactivar refinería El Palito detonan derrames petroleros". Banca y Negocios. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ "El Parque Nacional Morrocoy en peligro de extinción tras derrame de petróleo". El Venezolano de Houston. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ Arteaga González, Kevin (9 February 2021). "Nuevo derrame de El Palito podría afectar Boca de Aroa a días de Carnaval". El Carabobeño. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

Crisis in Venezuela

Events

Ongoing	Economic crisis Bolivarian missions Bolivarian Revolution Bolivarianism Censorship Chavismo Crimes against humanity Corruption Defections Devaluation of the Venezuelan bolívar Economic policies under Nicolás Maduro Energy crisis Human rights abuses Hyperinflation Illegal drug trade International sanctions Interventions of political parties Negotiations Refugee crisis and diaspora Resource shortages State protectors State-sponsored terrorism States of emergency in Venezuela Catatumbo campaign Pemon conflict Coronavirus pandemic
2010	Colombian diplomatic crisis Death of Franklin Brito PDVAL affair Parliamentary election III National Assembly of Venezuela
2012	Amuay tragedy Presidential election Regional elections
2013	Death of Hugo Chávez Presidential election Dakazo Municipal elections
2014	La Salida 2014 protests timeline Detention of Leopoldo López Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act
2015	Detention of Antonio Ledezma Colombian diplomatic/migration crisis Resolution 8610 2015 protests (timeline) Narcosobrinos affair Parliamentary election IV National Assembly of Venezuela
2016	Tumeremo massacre (first) Recall referendum movement 2016 protests (timeline)
2017	Detention of Gilber Caro Constitutional crisis Mother of All Marches Caracas helicopter incident Referendum National Assembly attack Constituent Assembly election Members Regional elections Municipal elections Attack on Fort Paramacay Death of Carlos Andrés García Law against Hatred 2017 protests timeline
2018	El Junquito raid Presidential campaign of Nicolás Maduro Valencia fire Panama diplomatic crisis Presidential election El Paraíso stampede Caracas drone attack Detention of Juan Requesens Economic reforms and Viernes Rojo Death of Fernando Albán Tumeremo massacre (third) 2018 protests (timeline)
2019	Inauguration of Nicolás Maduro Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 Plan País Humanitarian aid mission Amnesty Law Venezuela Aid Live Statute Governing the Transition to Democracy Murder of Alí Domínguez Widespread blackouts Detention of Roberto Marrero Disappearance of Gilber Caro 30 April uprising attempt Acarigua prison riot Death of Rafael Acosta Arévalo Attack of Rufo Chacón Death of Juan Carlos Márquez Murder of Edmundo Rada Operación Alacrán 2019 protests timeline
2020	National Assembly leadership election Death of Addy Valero Cagua fire Barquisimeto shooting COVID-19 pandemic Guanare prison riot Operation Gideon El Palito oil spill Detention of Alex Saab Parliamentary election V National Assembly of Venezuela
2021	La Vega raid Apure clashes
2022	Arauca clashes Recall referendum project
2023	Anti-Solidarity Law Barbados Agreement Unitary Platform presidential primaries Referendum Guyana–Venezuela crisis El Palito oil spill
2024	Detention of Rocío San Miguel Law against Fascism, Neofascism and Similar Expressions Bulla Loca mine disaster Presidential election

Deaths during protests

2014	Bassil Da Costa Robert Redman Génesis Carmona Geraldin Moreno
2015	Kluivert Roa
2017	Paola Ramírez Juan Pablo Pernalete Armando Cañizales Miguel Castillo Paúl Moreno Orlando Figuera Neomar Lander Fabián Urbina David Vallenilla Xiomara Scott

People

Pro-Maduro	Nicolás Maduro F. Ameliach D. Cabello A. Chávez T. El Aissami H. Escarrá T. W. Saab C. Flores A. Istúriz E. Jaua T. Lucena I. Alfonzo N. Maduro Guerra C. Mata Figueroa C. Meléndez C. Alcalá Cordones until 2013 L. Ortega Díaz until 2017 V. Padrino López R. Ramírez until 2018 L. Parra H. Rangel Silva D. Rodríguez J. Rodríguez I. Rodríguez T. W. Saab I. Varela D. Vivas E. Amoroso B. Lugo M. C. Figuera until 2019 E. Farías F. Bernal I. Alfonzo
Anti-Maduro	Juan Guaidó Óscar Pérez C. Alcalá Cordones since 2013 J. Borges L. Ortega Díaz since 2017 Rafael Ramírez since 2018 María Corina Machado H. Capriles H. Falcón Adrián Arria Aveledo Caro F. Guevara A. Ledezma L. López Mantilla Mendoza Pérez Álvarez Pérez Vivas Ramos Allup J. Requesens R. Requesens F. Rosales M. Rosales H. Salas Feo V. S. Scarano L. Tintori J. Torrealba A. Velásquez J. L. Silva M. C. Figuera since 2019 D. Solórzano O. Barboza J. J. Rendón J. P. Guanipa T. Guanipa

Pro-Maduro

Anti-Maduro

Organizations

Pro-Maduro	Union of South American Nations Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas Political parties Great Patriotic Pole United Socialist Party of Venezuela PODEMOS People's Electoral Movement Media outlets Agencia Venezolana de Noticias Telesur Venezolana de Televisión State organizations Supreme Tribunal of Justice National Electoral Council Constituent National Assembly Bolivarian Intelligence Service Bolivarian National Guard Mission Barrio Adentro Local Committees for Supply and Production Carnet de la Patria Colectivos
Anti-Maduro	Organization of American States Mercosur Political parties Democratic Unity Roundtable Popular Will Justice First Democratic Action Un Nuevo Tiempo Come Venezuela Copei Movimiento al Socialismo Progressive Advance Agreement for Change National Assembly (majority) Capitolio TV

Pro-Maduro