Current status of the case

In May 2009, the Municipality of Magdalena accepted a USD 9,5M indemnification offer made by Shell.

In this way, the environmental claim initiated by the Municipality was terminated.

Shell expressly rejected that there were any contamination in Magdalena.

Some small groups of “junqueros” (habitants) that initiated claims against Shell, reached minor agreements in which the company did not recognize the existence of any contamination in Magdalena nor any damage on the coast.

The major claim was initiated by a group of 500 habitants of Magdalena, to whom Shell did not made any offer for agreement yet.

Some challenges to the agreement reached among Shell and the Municipality of Magdalena are still pending to be decided by the Courts.

In the coast of Magdalena, by making a hole with your hand you can reach your own conclusions about the existence (or not) of oil and contamination in the site. Another option is to compare photographs or videos of the coast to see the changes in the flora and fauna.

The people of Magdalena, most of which swam to recover oil from the coast risking their lives, are still waiting for justices to reach the case of Magdalena, which is the major oil spill in fresh water in the history of mankind.

The environmental ONG Ala Plastica declared in May 2009 that the shores of Magdalena are still contaminated by the oil spill of 1999.