Extensive oil spill in Northeast Brazil and the impact on shipping

For over one month now, an unprecedented extensive area along the shoreline of Brazil’s Northeast Region has been hit by an oily substance in the form of lumps of black tar, which origin remains unknown.

Substantial oil slicks were first spotted since at least 30 August 2019 and sightings were reported to federal authorities from 2 September 2019, but it was only weeks later they realised that the pollution was widespread and gradually reached the entire shoreline along the northeastern coast of the South Atlantic Ocean, heading south.

All the nine states of Brazil’s Northeast have been reached by the oil spill in the course of recent weeks. The affected area spans over 1,370 nautical miles across sandy beaches, mangroves, reefs, and rocky coasts and varied fauna and flora, extending from Cururupu in the state of Maranhão to Arempebe in Bahia soon to reach the metropolitan area of Salvador, Northeast’s largest city, and beyond.

Download our Circular here to learn more about the area affected, origin and nature of the oil, official investigations underway and the impact on shipping.

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