Overview

• The Federal Prosecution Service says Petrobras’s August exercise showed operational inconsistencies and that its emergency and oiled-fauna plans are not executable in practice, citing two incidents and a near collision during night operations.
• Despite technical flags, Ibama’s licensing directorate approved the pre-operational assessment with conditions and floated granting the license with a follow-up drill, a move the MPF deems contrary to licensing norms and seeks to have revoked.
• Ibama says its technical team is reviewing Petrobras’s September 26 responses before a final opinion moves to higher decision-making levels, with the ultimate call resting with agency president Rodrigo Agostinho.
• Petrobras has kept the NS-42 drillship on standby off Amapá since August 18 at an estimated cost of about R$180 million, roughly R$4 million per day, as it awaits a licensing decision.
• Authorities underscore the Foz do Amazonas area’s high biodiversity and sensitivity to potential large-scale impacts from an oil spill.