Pari villagers still waiting for oil-spill report – six months later

National

THE National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) is waiting for government agencies for a report on the  oil spill at Pari village near Port Moresby in April, says manager Pawa Limu.
Limu was speaking to The National following concerns from the villagers who were waiting for a response or report regarding the spill on April 25, which was caused by a leak at the subsea hose connected to the pipeline that fed the Kanudi terminal facility.  The oil spill had spread to the village.
“We (NMSA) had a meeting with Puma Energy and government agencies on May 3 and we agreed on carrying out an independent investigation into the oil spill to identify its cause, effects, possible costs and
compensation involved,” Limu said.
He said that to date he was still waiting for those government agencies – the Department of Labour, Conservation and Environment Protection Authority, PNG Ports Corporation, besides Puma Energy, to get back to him.
“At NMSA, we do not issue licences, we only respond to clean -ups when there is an oil spill or so and those government agencies were the ones to issue licences and permits to conduct independent
investigations into such incidents,” Limu said.
He said NMSA had asked those departments to give them credible or any consultants that were independent to do the investigation on behalf of the agencies.
“I am just waiting for them to give me any consultant who can do as per the licence conditions to conduct and coordinate the investigation and as per the meeting we agreed that Puma Energy was supposed to
fund that independent investigation.”
Limu said because there was no one to coordinate the investigation process, NMSA  had to take up the role.
“The Department of Environment and Conservation guys have been locked out of their office for the last two months at the bmobile building.
“Their files and everything have been locked out as well. They are now operating from their homes and it is really hard for me to follow up with them.”