RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Tuesday, November 5th, Brazil requested data from Greek authorities on five ships, according to a statement published by Delta Tankers. The company owns the Bouboulina, which until then had been the only vessel mentioned by the Brazilian investigators as a suspect of having caused the oil spill that affected a third of Brazil’s coast.
The document sent by the Brazilian authorities read as follows: “I urge the Maritime Authority of your country to notify the ships listed below as suspects in the oil spills that emerged on the northeastern coast of Brazil, as they sailed close to the affected area during the period in which the oil spill is deemed to have occurred”.
The suspected Greek ships are the Maran Apollo (Maran Tankers), the Maran Libra (Maran Tankers), the Bouboulina (Delta Tankers), the Minerva Alexandra (Minerva Marine) and the Cap Pembroke (Euronav), all oil tankers.
According to the Navy, some 30 ships from 11 countries were being investigated by the end of October. On Friday, November 1st, the Bouboulina was singled out as the main suspect of having caused the tragedy.
“Delta Tankers carried out a thorough search of the material from cameras, data and records and there is no evidence that the vessel stopped, carried out [oil transfer] operations between ships, lost or spilled cargo, slowed down or diverted from its course, on its way between Venezuela and Melaka, Malaysia,” states the note from Delta Tankers.
The company says it will voluntarily cooperate with the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Brazilian Navy.
“As reported by Delta Tankers on Friday, the ship left Venezuela loaded on July 19th, 2019, heading directly, without stopping at other ports, to Melaka, Malaysia, where it unloaded all the cargo without loss,” the note concludes.
Source: Folhapress