Offshore Oil Spill – Brazil Doubles Compensation Claim

Chevron & Transocean named in Brazil's second environmental damage claim for $22 billion for oil spill at Frade Field

Chevron committed “a series of errors” that led to the March spill at Frade, the second incident at the offshore oil project, the federal prosecutors’ office said in a statement. Prosecutor Eduardo Santos de Oliveira is also seeking to halt operations at Frade and block San Ramon, California- based Chevron from transferring profits  from Brazil, according to Bloomberg.

A leak of 3,000 barrels of crude into the Atlantic Ocean off Rio de Janeiro’s coast in November and a seep in March have led to a slew of probes against Chevron and Transocean, which operated the rig at Frade. Oliveira filed the first 20 billion- real ($11 billion) lawsuit last year and pressed criminal charges against executives of the two companies last month, seeking penalties of as many as 31 years in prison.