OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Offshore Oil Platform Accident - Brazil
21 March 2001


Incident Details

1. On Thursday, 15 March, an offshore oil platform belonging to the
Brazilian oil company, Petrobras, suffered a series of explosions that
resulted in a number of casualties and caused severe structural damage.
Initially, the platform leaned dangerously as a result of damage to one of
the support columns, and then gradually began to sink.

2. The underwater wells that lie 1.3 km below the surface were immediately
capped to prevent damage and oil leakage.  Since wells are not directly
under the platform, there appears to be little concern of possible damage.

3. On 20 March, in spite of vigorous efforts to keep it afloat, the
platform sank.

4. There are some 1.5 million litres (~400,000 gallons) of diesel and fuel
oil in storage tanks and in the 21 pipelines on, or attached to, the
platform.  Now that the platform has sunk, the storage tanks are expected
to burst from extreme water pressure, and leak their contents.  Some
seepage from the submerged platform has already been observed, and is
being contained by the floating boom that was put in place immediately
following the initial explosion.

5. The platform, which is some 125 km off the coast of Brazil near Macae,
is in deep water and the tides are flowing away from the shoreline.  As a
result, it is hoped that any leaked oil would be carried out to sea, away
from sensitive shoreline ecosystems.


Location of Oil Rig Disaster
near Macae Brazil
©BBC 2000

6. Reports from the Brazilian National Secretariat of Civil Defence
indicate that the situation is stable and, so far, all the oil is being
contained by the 32,000 metres of floating oil containment boom that has
been put in place.


International Assistance

7. No request for international assistance has been received by the Joint
UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit to date.

8. Petrobras had flown in U.S. and Dutch experts and equipment in its
initial attempts to keep the leaning platform afloat. These experts remain
on site.

9. The Joint Unit remains in contact with competent national authorities
in Brazil and will continue to monitor the situation closely.


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Unit Officers
  Mr. Vladimir Sakharov     Tel: +41 22 917 1142
  Ms. Patricia Charlebois   Tel: + 41 22 917 1815

Press contact:  Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-91726 53


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