This archive report was first published on 24 November 2019.
Published on November 24, 2019, a massive oil spill in Brazil has been spreading along the Atlantic coastline, reaching as far as Rio state.
According to the Navy, the oil spill has contaminated over 700 locations, with patches of oil appearing along a 2,000-kilometer stretch of coastline.
Workers and volunteers are racing against time to clear beaches ahead of the country's peak tourism season, with more than 4,500 tons of oil removed and over 5,000 soldiers mobilized for cleaning operations.
The spill has proven deadly for dozens of types of animals, including turtles, and has also reached a humpback whale sanctuary off Bahia state, which has some of the country's richest biodiversity.
President Bolsonaro has expressed concerns about the spill, stating that 'we still don't know how much oil is left in the sea' and that 'in the worst case, if an oil tanker unloaded all of its cargo into the sea, less than 10 percent has reached our shores.'
The Greek-flagged tanker 'Bouboulina' has been identified as the 'prime suspect' for being the source of the oil slicks, although its operators have denied any involvement.
