Leak On Drilling Ship In Santos Basin Costs Petrobras A Fine Of R$ 256 Thousand

The Fine Relates to 21.4 Thousand Liters of Hydraulic Fluid. Petrobras Also Received Other Six Fines, Totaling R$ 78 Thousand, for Irregular Spills at Pre-Salt Platforms.

The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) fined Petrobras R$ 256 thousand for releasing 21.4 thousand liters of hydraulic fluid into the sea from the drilling ship Norbe IX, located in the Atapu Field, in the Santos Basin. The company also received six more fines, totaling R$ 78 thousand, for other spills at pre-salt platforms. This is the third consecutive month that the oil company has received fines from Ibama for spills.

In a statement, Petrobras declared that it complies with legal requirements to inform the environmental authority of incidents and continuously monitors them. The largest fine refers to the spill that occurred from the Norbe IX drilling ship, which resulted in a leak of glycol-based hydraulic fluid (alcohol used as an antifreeze).

According to information from the environmental agency, “There is no information in the process about emergency measures regarding the accident.”

The other six fines, according to Ibama, refer to spills during extraction activities involving oils or greases at the Mexilhão platform and on the drilling ships West Tellus, Brava Star, and West Orion in the Santos Basin, as well as at platforms P-56 and P-65 in the Campos Basin, ranging from R$ 8 thousand to R$ 30 thousand.

“Petrobras informs that it continues to comply with all legal requirements and continuously monitors the average concentration of oils and greases in the discarded water, providing this data to the environmental agency according to current legislation,” Petrobras stated in a note, not clarifying whether it will immediately pay the imposed sanctions.

In March, Petrobras was fined R$ 100 thousand for the irregular discharge of production water from the FPSO Cidade de Saquarema platform in the Lula Field. According to Ibama, the discharge was 75 mg/L and exceeded the limit allowed by Conama, which is 42 mg/L, equivalent to 78% excess.

In April, another fine of R$ 100 thousand was imposed for a similar offense at the Merluza platform, located 180 kilometers from Praia Grande (SP). The discharge showed excessive concentrations of oils and greases above the permitted level.

The regulations established by Conama determine that the maximum allowed daily value of residual concentration is 42 mg/L. In a report submitted by the state-owned company, 74.6 mg/L were found.

As of this month, the fines related to the leaks from March and April had yet to be paid.

The increase in energy demand from Paraguay will reduce the amounts that Brazil can import from the production of the Itaipu dam.