In a late attempt to calm the outrage of local people, Congress has promised to declare the navigation channel a National Security Zone , according to Article 15 of the Law on Security and Defense . Its President, Daglin Lunde , argues that international agreements have been violated by the preventive arrest of the captain of the Nissos Amorgos , by the preventive embargo of the ship itself, and by the introduction of a lawsuit by the Attorney General in the name of the country. Venezuela is signatory to two agreements at the International Maritime Organization , covering risks and compensation for accidental oil spills. According to Lunde, the Compensation Fund has been used in 70 cases already and has been instrumental to resolve most such cases out of court. Lunde does not understand why these mechanisms are not considered sufficient by Venezuela in the case of the Nissos Amorgos.
Spills also occur regularly from the many oil wells in the area.
The impact of this and similar spills could have been prevented or minimized had there been an efficient monitoring system in place by the oil industry. Mosquito 3 had been shut down for 10 years but no one had noticed that one whole kilometer of oilduct to the well had been stolen , as well as extra equipment to control the oil flow. This story if far from over. Nevertheless, one conclusion to be drawn so far is the importance of civic action as a mechanisms to overcome the incompetence of government bureaucracies, and their tendency to come to agreements without due consideration for the plight of those directly affected by incidents of this nature. No longer will people around Lake Maracaibo allow themselves to become passive victims of government inaction, or of the lack of compliance by the oil and the shipping industry with national and international regulations on the environmental and social impact of oil spills.