Mysterious oil spill on Brazilian coast: Analysis and estimates

Daniel Constantino Zacharias; Carine Malagolini Gama; Adalgiza Fornaro

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112125

Mysterious oil spill on Brazilian coast: Analysis and estimates

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Apr:165:112125. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112125. Epub 2021 Feb 11.

Authors

Daniel Constantino Zacharias¹, Carine Malagolini Gama², Adalgiza Fornaro²

Affiliations

¹ Departamento de Ciências Atmosféricas, Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, IAG/USP, Rua do Matão, 1226, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil. Electronic address: danizach@gmail.com.
² Departamento de Ciências Atmosféricas, Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, IAG/USP, Rua do Matão, 1226, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil.

PMID: 33582423
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112125

Abstract

In 2019-2020, a mysterious oil spill reached a large part of the Brazilian coast. In order to contribute to the clarification part of these mysteries involving this accident, the present study aims to estimate the initial volume spilled using the STFM (Spill, Transport and Fate Model). We started from the hypothesis that the leak was caused by tanker buoyancy problems (hull rupture or engine failure), resulting in slow loss of part of its cargo (leaking or dumping) in the subsurface waters. The estimated volume (5000-12,500 m³) was similar to that expected in a continuous leak from an internal compartment tanker with the size between PANAMAX and SUEZMAX. This volume may have been the largest oil spill on the Brazilian coast since 2004, and it caused institutional and socioeconomic crisis because of the poor management of public resources.

Keywords: And fate model (STFM); Brazilian oil spill; Initial spilled oil volume; Mysterious oil spill; Spill; Transport.

MeSH terms

Accidents
Brazil
Petroleum Pollution*