Chevron fined for spill

 

 Chevron fined for spill

Government suspends oil giant from exploration

Brazil’s government fined US oil company Chevron US$28 million for an oil spill off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. 

A leak in an oil well where the company was exploring for crude ruptured on Nov. 7, spilling 2,400 barrels of oil in the Atlantic Ocean. The Environment Ministry, which issued the fine, said Chevron could be forced to pay several times that amount in other fines. 

The California-based company said it took responsibility for the spill, which it said occurred because it miscalculated the pressure in a reservoir where it was drilling. 

On Nov. 23, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels suspended Chevron from any exploration in the country. It also rejected Chevron’s request to drill another well in the Frade field, 370 kilometers (230 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. 

“This resolution suspends all drilling activities of Chevron do Brasil Ltda. in national territory,” said the statement. “The decision was based on technical analysis and observations of the Agency, which show negligence on the part of the concessionaire in the investigation of fundamental data for the drilling of wells and the design and implementation schedule of abandonment, and lack of greater attention to the industry’s best practices.”
Fuente: Latinamerica Press