Caracas (AFP)
The Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA denied Thursday that it was behind the big oil slabs that have sullied more than 130 beaches in northeastern Brazil, according to Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles. .
"PDVSA categorically rejects the statements of the Brazilian Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, who accuses Venezuela of being at the origin (slabs of) crude that contaminate the beaches of northeastern Brazil since early September," he said. said the group in a statement.
The company deems "unfounded" Brazil's claims, "given that there is no evidence of any oil leakage on Venezuelan oil fields that could have caused damage to the neighboring country's maritime ecosystem. ".
"This oil is probably from Venezuela, as a report from Petrobras shows.This oil was in a foreign ship that was sailing near the Brazilian coast," the Brazilian minister told a parliamentary committee Wednesday.
The state oil company Petrobras, which took part in the clean-up operations, had assured last week that this oil was "neither produced nor marketed by the company", after having carried out analyzes on samples taken on the spot.
Oil slabs, which began to appear in early September, have been spotted at least 2,000 km along the Atlantic coast.
They have now reached all nine states of northeastern Brazil, a poor region renowned for the beauty of its beaches and whose economic activity depends largely on tourism.
Until Monday, the authorities had removed 133 tons of oil residues.
© 2019 AFP