Numerical Simulation of Oil Spills in the Peruvian Sea: Analysis and Proposal for Containment Strategies

Oil spills along the Peruvian coast pose a severe threat to marine ecosystems, coastal economic activities, and public health. In January 2022, a major spill near the La Pampilla refinery released more than 11,000 barrels of crude oil into the ocean, causing significant environmental and social impacts while exposing critical weaknesses in national response systems. Using this incident as a reference case, this study applies the OpenOil module of the OpenDrift framework to simulate oil spill dispersion under local oceanographic and atmospheric conditions. The simulations reproduced the northward drift of the oil, consistent with satellite observations and official reports, with stranding hotspots identified along Santa Rosa beach and Punta Tomacalla, where up to 60% of the particles accumulated. The model also captured the relative contributions of evaporation (~4%), emulsification, and biodegradation, showing that the latter became more dominant after 65 hours, reducing the mass of oil at sea. These results highlight the limited reaction time available in the first 15 hours, when the slick expanded rapidly to nearly 10 km, and demonstrate the model’s predictive capacity to identify areas at risk. Based on the findings, we propose the use of containment and deflection booms strategically positioned according to modeled particle trajectories, as well as the integration of real-time data to improve emergency preparedness. Overall, this research shows that numerical modeling can effectively support oil spill response in Peru, providing actionable insights for contingency planning, ecological protection, and the development of maritime environmental policies aligned with international best practices.