AND PRESERVING
ACTIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Committed to the environment and to national heritage, the Brazilian Government has been working extensively to monitor and clean the oil spill on the Northeastern coast as well as to investigate the transgressions related to this incident. In order to control the damages caused by the spills, federal organs such as the Navy, Civil Defense, Federal Police, ANA, ICMBio, Ibama, ANP, Petrobras, the Brazilian Army, Brazilian Air Force, Federal Universities, as well as state and municipal organs, have joined forces to work tirelessly to give back to Brazil its maritime coast, clean and free of residues.WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR
In the last two months, 1,027 tons of residue have been removed from 2,500 km of the Brazilian coast. In addition, 54 military organizations, 19 ships and 13 aircrafts have been working daily on monitoring, cleaning and analyzing the spills on the Northeastern beaches.
Aircrafts from the Brazilian Air Force have conducted over 60 hours of flight, and the government has also resorted to the National Contingency Plan for Oil Pollution in Waters under National Jurisdiction. For the volunteers helping clean up the beaches, the Ministry of Regional Development will provide Individual Protection Equipment. The Ministry of Regional Development has also announced a financial support of R$ 2.58 million to the state of Sergipe.
Every environmental impact assessment, instruction for residue disposal and definition of cleaning deadlines are under the responsibility of Ibama. The Group of Monitoring and Assessment, composed by Ibama, the National Oil Agency and the Navy, has been acting to remove the oil found on the beaches. The Navy and the Federal Police are conducting the investigation.
THE GOVERNMENT IS 100%
COMMITTED TO
THE ACTIONS TO REPAIR THE DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE OIL IN THE NORTHEAST.
WHEN DID THE GOVERNMENT START TO TAKE ACTION?
Since September 2nd, the Brazilian Government has been united to work continuously to contain the damages caused by the oil spill on the Northeastern coast. No effort has been spared to intensify the monitoring and cleaning actions on affected beaches.
Numbers
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3,919
Employees and
civil servantes -
1,027
Tons of removed
residue -
54
Military
organizations - 19 Ships
- 5,000 Military
- 13 Aircrafts
POSSIBLE CAUSES
Petrobras has already confirmed that the oil found in the Northeast comes from Venezuela. The company has reached this conclusion after analyzing over 30 samples of the substance. Although there are no doubts about the origin of the product, the initial location of the spill is still being searched. The Navy is conducting a classified investigation of the possible causes, while the criminal investigation is under the responsibility of the Federal Police.
WHAT IS THIS OIL
An analysis done by the Navy and Petrobras has concluded that the substance found is crude oil. This means it does not come from any oil products. It is a hydrocarbon also known as tar. In deep waters, these dense oil “plaques” are submerged. In shallow waters, they appear near the surface and break into smaller pieces due to the crushing waves.
AFFECTED AREAS
So far, the spill has affected 249 locations in 88 cities of 9 states. According to a survey done by the Navy, out of the beaches that had already been cleaned up, 100 of them haven’t had new spills, 139 have had new traces of residue of less than 10% (the size of their original spill), and 10 have had new larger spills which are being removed. Due to the extension of the affected area, the time frame and the characteristics of oil dispersion, the organs in the Group of Monitoring and Assessment are committed to the best use of resources and to constant analysis in order to minimize the environmental damage.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A lot has been said about the oil spills that have appeared on the Northeastern coast. Doubts are frequent and sharing the correct information is also a way of helping. What has caused the environmental incident that led to the spills? What is the extent of the environmental damage? Which actions is the government taking? How are the volunteers helping? Check out the most frequently asked questions.-
1. WHEN DID THE OIL SPILLS FIRST APPEARED?
The first oil spills were seen on August 30th, at Conde and Pitimbu beaches, in the state of Paraiba.
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2. WHEN DID THE GOVERNMENT START TO ACT TO CONTAIN THE DAMAGE?
Since September 2nd the Navy has been working with several government organs to monitor, clean and analyze the substance as well as to reduce damages.
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3. WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING TO REDUCE THE DAMAGE?
As soon as the first spills appeared, the Group of Monitoring and Assessment, composed of Ibama, ANP and the Navy, has been taking action to remove the oil found on the beaches. Following the directions of the National Contingency Plan, the Brazilian Navy was appointed as Operational Coordination, setting command and control offices in Salvador and Recife. Until now, dozens of military organizations have been mobilized by the Navy, employing over two thousand military officers, 145 official vehicles, 10 ships and 3 aircrafts. Petrobras is participating in the effort to clean up the affected beaches by providing two ships, one helicopter, around 1,800 people and 30 vehicles. In addition, Air Force aircrafts are sweeping areas farther from the coast and the 10th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Brazilian Army will support the monitoring and cleaning of the beaches by providing personnel and equipment. So far, over one thousand tons of oil have been removed from the ocean by teams of the federal government and local organs.
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4. WHEN DID THE INVESTIGATION TO FIND THE CULPRITS START?
The investigation of the causes and responsible agents of the disaster is being conducted by the Navy and the Federal Police since the beginning of the environmental incident. Navy commander, Admiral Ilques Barbosa Junior, explained that the work is focused on around 30 ships from 10 countries, which have passed by the Brazilian coast. The Navy has notified these ships to come forward and make statements on the situation.
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5. WHICH GOVERNMENT ORGANS ARE INVOLVED IN THE ACTIONS TO CONTAIN THE DAMAGE?
The Navy; Ibama; Petrobras; the Brazilian Air Force; the Brazilian Army; Civil Defense; ICMBio; Federal Police; Ministry of Environment; federal, state and municipal institutions and agencies; besides companies and universities.
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6. ARE THE PHYSICAL BARRIERS EFFECTIVE TO CONTAIN THE OIL SPREAD?
Technical experts affirm that the physical barriers might not prevent the oil from spreading. That is because they consist of a floating part and a submerged part, called skirt, which is supposed to contain the superficial oil (substance with lower density than water), but the polluting agent affecting the Northeast is concentrated in a subsurface layer. This is the reason the spills are not visible through satellite images, overflights and monitoring done with oil detection sensors. Besides, the oil spills on the Brazilian coast are too dense and can move under the barriers.
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7. HOW MUCH RESIDUE HAS ALREADY BEEN REMOVED?
Until now, 1,027 tons of residue have been collected from 2,500 km of the Brazilian coast.
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8. WHERE HAVE THE CRUDE OIL SPILLS APPEARED?
The residue has appeared in Maranhao, Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia.
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9. IS THE CONTACT WITH THIS OIL HARMFUL TO HUMAN HEALTH?
Authorities and health specialists alert to the need of avoiding direct contact with the material, since it can cause rashes and skin allergies. All volunteers must wear safety equipment (boots, gloves, masks and glasses) when helping remove the residue.