13/06/2019
Samarco held an emergency response drill on Wednesday (12/June), at the Ponta de Ubu seaport terminal. The exercise, which is part of the company’s Port Operations Emergency Response Plan, took place between 9 am and 12 pm and involved approximately 80 people.
Several scenarios were addressed. In the first one, oranges were thrown into the sea to simulate a 300 liter oil stain resulting from an accidental spill situation. There were also simulations of firefighting, rescue of the injured people on board, rescue of man overboard and rescue of aquatic fauna.
(Image: Jefferson Rocio)
(Image: Jefferson Rocio)
According to the port manager Rodrigo Abreu, emergency drills have been held since 2002 and are important for strengthening the prevention culture. With the actions, it is possible to exercise the management aspects of the Individual Emergency Plan (PEI), strengthen the integration among teams, contractors, regulators and communities, as well as promote the training and skills necessary to act in emergency situations.
“With the drills, we were also able to identify and improve procedures, whether in coordination, communication, containment and removal of the floating oil slick. All this involves preventive work to avoid similar occurrences in everyday life, but it is also essential that those involved be prepared for emergencies, ”says Abreu. He further explains that the activities comply with current legislation.
(Image: Jefferson Rocio)
In addition to the participation of employees and contractors, the drill was attended by various bodies, such as the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the State Institute of Environment and Water Resources (Iema), Civil Defense and Anchieta Fire Department, Brazilian Navy, Marine Animal Research and Rehabilitation Institute (Ipram), among others. Several types of equipment were used to simulate the scenarios, including a tugboat, a speedboat, a motorized boat, 200 meters of floating containment barriers and drums to collect the oranges thrown into the sea.
