Peru’s largest oil producer accused activists in canoes of throwing homemade bombs at crude carriers on a river in the country’s northwest in an apparent protest about payments to a social fund.
Canada’s PetroTal said an indigenous group seized a vessel carrying 40,000 barrels of oil along with 12 of its crew in the Loreto region. A second empty vessel was also being held, according to reports.
The company said the group was behind a “violent and illegal blockade” on the Puinahua Canal targeting barges that transport oil and vessels carrying supplies for the company.
It said the group, armed with guns and blades, also attacked a Peruvian naval vessel carrying a senior prosecutor on Tuesday, injuring an officer.
The company’s Facebook page published a video that appeared to show two flaming objects thrown from two motorised canoes towards one vessel.
Footage screened by the Peru21 television channel showed six motorised canoes pulling alongside and boarding a barge operating on the stretch of the river. The company said the group had looted another vessel and kidnapped its Brazilian crew for 48 hours in November last year.
PetroTal accused the Indigenous Association for Development & Conservation of Bajo Puinahua for the campaign.
“This illegal blockade of the river prevents the entry and exit of vessels to our operation through attacks by its followers who, from canoes, throw Molotov cocktails at vessels loaded with crude oil and retain them,” the company said.
“PetroTal has called for an immediate and peaceful end to the blockade so that safe river transportation operations can resume.”
Peru is one of Latin America’s smaller oil producers. PetroTal said it became the country’s largest producer in early 2022.
The company was producing about 10,000 barrels of oil per day from the Bretana field in June before a planned five-day shutdown from Thursday for infrastructure work. It says it has put $8m into a social fund to benefit the community.
