Repair of Oil Spill Will Cost Billions, Says Head of Brazilian Environment Institute

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The president of the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) has announced that the costs will certainly be high since they entail extensive damage, not only to the environment but also to tourism and public health.

Eduardo Bim, president of IBAMA, one of the bodies that make up the group, said that the figures will undoubtedly be high, since they entail damages not only to the environment but also to tourism and public health, among other sectors. “This damage has not yet been quantified. It’s going to be damage in the order of billions, no doubt,” Bim said.

In addition to compensation, environmental fines should be imposed on those liable. By law, fines can be up to R$50 million (US$13 million) per occurrence.

The president of IBAMA said that the body does not yet have studies on the quality of shellfish and fish caught in the region for consumption. According to him, this data depends on surveys by the Ministry of Health and the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA).

The process of accountability will rely on the progress of investigations currently being conducted by the Federal Police, in partnership with the Navy and environmental protection bodies, and also on international cooperation.

The authorities suspect that the ship Bouboulina, flying the Greek flag, was behind the oil spill at sea. Last Friday, November 1st, the Federal Police seized documents from companies with addresses in Rio de Janeiro, linked to the company operating the ship, which is refuting the charges.

Maritime authorities from other countries were notified to cooperate. One of the goals is to find out whether the ship unloaded the same amount of oil in Singapore as it loaded at a port in Venezuela. Information on who owns the company operating the ship, the captain and the rest of the crew is also being investigated.

The Bouboulina left Venezuelan in July and crossed Brazilian waters on its way to Nigeria, South Africa, and Singapore.

Federal Police delegate Franco Perazzoni said on Monday that, for now, the ship is the suspect and that conclusions on the matter are dependent on the progress of investigations. “The company [owner of the ship] will be notified now, will be advised of the content of the entire investigation. We have not yet reached the moment of filing formal charges”.

The statements were made at a press conference after members of the monitoring group and the ministers of Defense and Justice had submitted data on the case to President Jair Bolsonaro. Moro did not attend the meeting with journalists.

Those present at the interview did not explain what information President Jair Bolsonaro relied upon for his statement the day before, when he said that “the worst is yet to come” in the region.

When asked several times if the president had any data on the disaster not yet made public, Azevedo and other authorities involved in the case only said that the impacts are unpredictable. “We have to monitor the situation, the evolution of the situation. It’s an unprecedented situation. This disaster has never happened here in Brazil, even in the world: a disaster of this magnitude, with this type of oil, which is not detectable by radar, by satellite,” the minister said.

He reiterated that the authorities are working very unpredictably. “It is difficult. [The oil] is half-submerged, undetectable, we don’t know how much of it has spilled, what’s yet to come”.

The Navy reported that 4,000 tons of waste were collected at sea, on beaches, estuaries, mangroves, and other coastal areas. For now, 110 municipalities in nine states have been affected.

“All accidents or incidents that are unprecedented lead to multiple views and many possibilities. All possibilities should be raised. We still don’t know if there is much or little,” said Navy Naval Operations Commander Leonardo Puntel.

Source: Folhapress