"All this document really confirms is that there are neither the resources nor the planning in place to contain a serious spill," she said.
The break has further increased concern about pipeline safety after a fatal explosion of a natural gas pipeline in California, and a serious spill on an oil pipeline in Michigan in July last year.
And oil companies everywhere rely on a few huge service providers: Transocean, for example, operates many of Brazil's offshore platforms, including some for Petrobras.According to David Zylbersztajn, a former ANP director, the Frade mishap shows just how unprepared Brazil is for a serious spill.
The cases snap on firmly and take a little prying to get off, though a small drop on a carpeted floor quickly demonstrated that they likely won't offer a heck of a lot of protection in a serious spill.
In the event of a serious spill or leak, the region is so remote it would be exceedingly difficult to muster workers and equipment to contain the emergency.
Clean up dangerous spills.
The wreck of the New Carissa caused one of the most serious oil spills to affect the state of Oregon, and the worst since a 1984 spill near Longview, Washington that dumped of oil into the Columbia River.
If nothing is done to stop it, this "could be one of the most serious oil spills in US history," said one coastguard official on Tuesday.
After all, if we don't get oil from the Gulf, it will have to be brought in by tanker, and, of the most serious oil spills in the U.S. over the past half century, the majority, 63% by volume, have been from tanker accidents and only about 19% by volume have come from offshore rigs, even including the current spill, to date.
