CAMEROON: COTCO OIL SPILL TROUBLING CALM WATERS

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 000117 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/C, OES LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA ACTION OFFICERS EUCOM FOR J5-A AFRICA DIVISION AND POLAD YATES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EPET SENV CM SUBJECT: CAMEROON: COTCO OIL SPILL TROUBLING CALM WATERS ¶1. (SBU) On January 19, Cameroonian newspapers reported an oil spill from the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company (COTCO) off the coast of Cameroon near Kribi. COTCO Managing Director Jacky Lesage informed the Embassy that the spill took place some time during the night of January 14-15 from a ship 10 km offshore from Kribi. The spill was discovered at 07:00 on January 15. COTCO does not know how long the spill lasted and had not yet assessed the volume of the spill, but Lesage estimated that it was less than 10 cubic meters, with a slick covering an area of approximately two square kilometers. The slick is reported to be moving slowly away from the coast. COTCO claims that there is no oil on the shore and no damage to the coastline, and that it is purposely "overreacting" in its response with treatments at sea and from the air to contain the spill. ¶2. (U) The Cameroonian press has disputed COTCO's account of the spill, citing a local NGO's claim that the oil slick is a catastrophe that threatens protected species, and criticized COTCO for taking too long to report the incident. Local officials claimed that the spill threatens the livelihoods of fishermen in the area, and suggested that compensation be paid for loss of income. Although several papers initially gave the story front page leads, they largely quoted COTCO and downplayed the effect of the spill. There has been little follow up, and the story was not picked up on local television or radio. There was a report by the French channel RFI and one by VOA affiliate Magic FM that aired on January 25. The Magic FM broadcast reported that the mayor of Kribi said that the spill threatened the fishing and tourist industries and that he worried about the long-term environmental effects -- the same concerns noted in newspaper reports. ¶3. (U) COTCO spokesman Guillaume E. Kwelle informed the Embassy January 23 that COTCO notified officials in Kribi immediately when they learned of the leak, and reiterated that their monitoring over the weekend confirmed that the environmental impact was minimal. Later the same day, COTCO Managing Director Lesage told us that the source of the press reports was an interview he gave to the Cameroon Tribune on January 18 that was published the next day, and clarified that the leak was not from the pipeline but from a line that was cut from a ship's water exhaust pipe. ¶4. (U) Comment. This was COTCO's first oil spill in over three years. Despite the efforts of a local NGO, Save the Nature, to brew up local controversy, the issue does not appear to be gathering momentum in the press. The focus of the mayor of Kribi's criticism appears to be aimed at generating compensation to benefit the local economy. While it is possible that this could remain a local sore spot, and could become controversial if the international media continue to play on it, the spill has not become a national issue, and there is no reason to doubt that COTCO has taken the appropriate cleanup measures. End Comment. MARQUARDT