The possibility of finding oil in the Gulf of Guayaquil has led several
Ecuadorian agencies to prepare contingency plans to deal with the eventuality
of an oil spill in the area. This report characterizes the importance of the
oil and fisheries industries to the Ecuadorian economy, and describes the
region where these activities may conflict. It also elaborates on the
biological effects of oil in tropical environments, and on aspects of
prevention, control/clean-up and oil spill contingency planning. Compensation
for oil pollution damages and methods for damage assessment are also discussed
herein.
The analysis comments on specific issues of the Ecuadorian plans, such
as their oil spill- response organization and operational guidelines. It notes
the willingness of the government and industry to handle the problem jointly
and to do so prior to actual oil production. The combination of
control/clean-up methods considered demonstrates the seriousness and
sophistication of these plans. However, the planning process seems to overly
rely on these clean-up measures as an antidote to oil spills. This report
emphasizes prevention as the cheapest and the most efficient approach to
protect the marine environment and resources of the Gulf of Guayaquil from oil
pollution damages.
