Mon 8 Apr 2013 07:56

Marine fuel cleanup operation winding down


Bunker spill cleanup efforts are wound down. Transpetro is accused of being 'very unprepared' to respond to the incident.



Brazil's Petrobras Transporte S.A. (Transpetro), the logistics unit of state-owned energy firm Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) S.A. (Petrobras), said that it was winding down its marine fuel cleanup operation on Sunday.

Bunker fuel was detected leaking from the Almirante Barroso marine terminal operated by Transpetro on Friday, which soiled four beaches along the coast of Sao Paulo state.

In a statement, the company said that the cleanup efforts at Cicadas in São Sebastião were wrapping up yesterday and that contingency teams were in place to monitor any waste brought in by the tide.

Following air surveillance carried out on Sunday morning, it was also agreed that the beaches of Deserta, Pontal da Cruz, Ponta do Lavapés and Olaria, had been cleaned up and no longer required monitoring.

On Saturday afternoon, oily globs of marine fuel were detected on the beaches of Capricórnio, Massaguaçu and Cocanha, in Caraguatatuba. Approximately one hundred workers were deployed to the sites to collect the fuel with work also due to be completed on Sunday.

Efforts at Ponta do Arpoador were continuing, the company said, with ten vessels in place working on site.

Alexandre Motta de Sousa, the harbour master at the port of Sao Sebastiao, was quoted as saying that the cleanup operation was wrapping up. "We were lucky because the climate helped contain the spread of the leak. It was a small spill, but we still don't have the calculations for the exact amount of fuel leaked," he told Reuters.

In an interview on Sunday, Eduardo Hipolito do Rego, Sao Sebastiao's environment secretary said: "There is still oil along the coast, covering rocks, vegetation and mangrove swamps. We're going to demand that Transpetro clean up these areas, too."

Hipolito claimed that Transpetro was "very unprepared" to respond to the spill, adding that workers were so slow to install containment buoys that he pitched in to help get the equipment to contain the leaked fuel out to sea. "There were too few people and a lack of training," Hipolito remarked.

Transpetro said it was investigating the cause of the leak at its terminal.

Chart showing percentage of off-spec and on-spec samples by fuel type, according to VPS. Is your vessel fully protected from the dangers of poor-quality fuel? | Steve Bee, VPS  

Commercial Director highlights issues linked to purchasing fuel and testing quality against old marine fuel standards.

Ships at the Tecon container terminal at the Port of Suape, Brazil. GDE Marine targets Suape LSMGO by year-end  

Expansion plan revealed following '100% incident-free' first month of VLSFO deliveries.

Hercules Tanker Management and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard sign bunker vessel agreement Peninsula CEO seals deal to build LNG bunker vessel  

Agreement signed through shipping company Hercules Tanker Management.

Illustration of Kotug tugboat and the logos of Auramarine and Sanmar Shipyards. Auramarine supply system chosen for landmark methanol-fuelled tugs  

Vessels to enter into service in mid-2025.

A Maersk vessel, pictured from above. Rise in bunker costs hurts Maersk profit  

Shipper blames reroutings via Cape of Good Hope and fuel price increase.

Claus Bulch Klausen, CEO of Dan-Bunkering. Dan-Bunkering posts profit rise in 2023-24  

EBT climbs to $46.8m, whilst revenue dips from previous year's all-time high.

Chart showing percentage of fuel samples by ISO 8217 version, according to VPS. ISO 8217:2024 'a major step forward' | Steve Bee, VPS  

Revision of international marine fuel standard has addressed a number of the requirements associated with newer fuels, says Group Commercial Director.

Carsten Ladekjær, CEO of Glander International Bunkering. EBT down 45.8% for Glander International Bunkering  

CFO lauds 'resilience' as firm highlights decarbonization achievements over past year.

Anders Grønborg, CEO of KPI OceanConnect. KPI OceanConnect posts 59% drop in pre-tax profit  

Diminished earnings and revenue as sales volume rises by 1m tonnes.

Verde Marine Homepage Delta Energy's ARA team shifts to newly launched Verde Marine  

Physical supplier offering delivery of marine gasoil in the ARA region.


↑  Back to Top


 Related Links