Cabinda enclave suffers oil spill

A valve was left open at a coastal oil site operated by US oil company Chevron in northwest Angola, spilling around 14,000 litres (3,700 gallons) of crude, AP reported on Monday, quoting a government official. A team of officials from the company, the government and environment groups are investigating the leak, which occurred on Thursday at the Malongo site in the enclave of Cabinda, Oil Minister Botelho de Vasconcelos said.

Cleanup crews combed the beach over the weekend and barriers were set up off the coast to contain the spill, he said. The minister was scheduled to meet with Chevron officials later this week, once the investigation is concluded. Environmentalists have criticised the government for lax control over foreign oil companies’ operations in the enclave, which has suffered several oil spills over the past year. Angola is sub-Saharan Africa’s largest oil producer after Nigeria.