In the United States the mention of an oil spill now brings to mind the massive BP oil spill of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. Despite the drama involved receding into the background, the danger of further oil spills globally continues. One such spill struck Brazil recently due to a U.S. oil company.
Chevron has numerous offshore drilling operations ongoing off of the coast of Brazil. Recently, on November 8th, a drilling error caused a significant spill to strike the region. The company is said to have underestimated the pressure while they were drilling which subsequently caused a 3,000 barrel leak. Chevron has admitted to the error.
While the Brazilian oil regulator ANP investigates the November spill, Chevron is not allowed to drill new wells for three months. Due to the spill, the Brazilian government issued a 28 million dollar fine. However, prosecutors in Brazil are now seeking further reparations for the damages involved. In total, prosecutors in Brazil are issuing a demand for 10.6 billion dollars on top of the fine issued previously.
In addition to the monetary demand, Brazilian prosecutors are also wishing to see operations of Chevron suspended by the court. In addition, the drilling contractor for Chevron in Brazil, Transocean, is being targeted along with Chevron and the prosecutors wish to see their operations suspended as well.
The prosecutors stated: “Chevron and Transocean weren’t capable of controlling the damages from a spill of 3,000 barrels of oil, which proves a lack of environmental planning and management.”
According to Chevron, they are not yet aware of the lawsuit or the details.
