Based on a decision by the Federal Court, the National Oil Regulatory Agency is prohibited to auction off oil and gas exploration blocks in a 50 kilometer perimeter of the Marinho de Abrolhos National Park in the south of the state of Bahia. The region has the largest bio-diversity in the south Atlantic, including coral reefs, algae, mangroves, beaches, and barrier beaches.
The judicial order came from an action proposed by Federal Attorney, Danilo Dias, based on a study from the NGO, International Conservation of Brazil. In the document prepared by experts from different areas, there is a list of 153 negative impacts to regional eco-systems if oil exploration were permitted.
Created in 1983, Abrolhos is home to animals threatened by extinction, like the sea tortoise and humpback whale, as well as mollusk, crustacean and coral species that only exist there.
In an interview with the newspaper, O Estado de S. Paulo, the marine biologist and environmental consultant, Richard Steiner defended the increase in the number of marine reserves as a way of preserving the marine eco-system. After participating in the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, and lecturing for many years at the University of Alaska, he stated that the British Petroleum rig accident in the Gulf of Mexico must serve as an example to all countries, especially Brazil, where well exploration in ultra-deep waters is still in the initial stages – and that the technology needs to be perfected.
“Less than 1% of the oceans are under protection while land reserves throughout the world cover between 10 and 12% of the planet surface. We call the planned reserves special marine reserves. And they must be strategically set aside to preserve species,” explained the biologist.
For Steiner, the moratorium the American government decreed on oil and gas exploration in deep waters should be maintained until there is more control over the technology being used. “We do not have correct protocols or even governmental supervision for rigs. And I especially celebrate the fact that gas and oil exploration in the Arctic was delayed. They should never explore that area,” he stated.
For the first time, last Thursday, August 12, the National Oil Regulatory Agency (ANP) made the decision to shut down activities at sea on the oil rig, Petrobras P-33, located in the Marlim Field in the Campos Basin. The motive was based on inadequate safety conditions of some equipment, which were discovered by the Ministry of Labor inspection. P-33 produces 20,000 barrels of oil a day.
The inspection listed corrosion of oil lubricant pipes and damage to protective grates. Workers said that on May 19, there had been a gas leak in the pipe connected to an oil barge, but sensors for detecting the problem and automatically shutting down the wells had not functioned. The leak was only discovered because of the noise and the formation of a cloud. At that point, the safety valves were manually shut to stop the gas from escaping.
In a letter from Petrobras, the company assured it was prepared to adopt all technical recommendations as quickly as possible. The ANP said it carries out 80 inspection activities a month. However, independent analysts stated the episode demonstrated that the government does not have a plan for what happens on the high sea. “The P-33 case only came to light because of a complaint being published in the newspapers. The fact is the ANP and IBAMA do not have an investigation policy that would not let issues like leaking oil or even possible explosions occur on rigs,” criticized Adriano Pires, consultant with the Brazilian Center for Infrastructure (CBIE).
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