Brazil’s environmental agency to investigate four vessels in the Port of Santos

Four ships will be investigated for environmental crimes in the Port of Santos. They were caught earlier this month during an operation that aimed to repress international drug trafficking and pollution in the region.

The operation, which lasted four days, was led by the Federal Police in the Port of Santos. Vessels were inspected by air and sea through helicopters and boats in search of flagrant.

According to federal environmental agent Ana Angélica Alabarce, responsible for the environmental agency Ibama in the region, some ships have joined a list of possible perpetrators of irregularities after basement cleanouts or other waste disposals.

After seeing the images collected by helicopter, the authorities requested the vessels’ records. In some cases, as these ships follow regular lines and come periodically to the Port of Santos, the documents may take longer to arrive.

The data collected will be passed on to Santos Port Authority (SPA), the state-owned company that manages the Santos port, and to the Federal Revenue Service. The freighters will be inspected and booked as soon as they obtain authorization to dock.

“The ships came and left while we were getting their files, which doesn’t mean anything as they belong to a regular line. When they return, they will be fined,” said Ana Angélica.

According to her, one of the four ships was undoubtedly cleaning the holds. “It released black water through the ballast. Everything was photographed and filmed during the flight.”

The authorities will now see where the waste was disposed of in the onboard documentation. According to the person in charge of IBAMA in the region, the form, time, and coordinates should also be listed.

Hull cleaning

The other three carriers were filmed with other vessels sailing alongside and divers in the surroundings, which indicates hull cleaning, a prohibited activity.

“Cleaning the hulls of ships is extremely polluting. It’s against the rules. Everything, from the product to the scraping, is harmful to the environment. Hull cleaning is only permitted in shipyards when done by dry cleaning, but it is commonly done with divers,” said the person in charge of Ibama.

The captains of the booked vessels must provide data on the diving teams that were working at the time of the flagrant, according to the federal environmental agent. These third-party companies should be investigated as well.

Another issue raised during the operation is the possibility of hiding drugs in the hulls of the vessels, which has already occurred on other occasions.

Source: A Tribuna

To read the full original article, please go to: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/quatro-navios-no-porto-de-santos-serao-autuados-pelo-ibama

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