The former French aircraft carrier was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean after several years of wandering and reversals in its fate.
The decision is strongly criticized by several organizations for the defense of the environment as the former flagship of the French navy, bought by Brazil in 2000, is filled with asbestos, paints and other toxic waste.
The “planned and controlled sinking occurred late afternoon” Friday, February 3, some 350 kilometers from the Brazilian coast, in an area “approximately 5,000 meters deep” , explained the Brazilian Navy in a press release.
Earlier in the week, the Navy said there is no other choice given the very degraded state of this old 266-meter-long hull, described as a “toxic package of 30,000 tonnes”.
The Federal Public Ministry of Brazil (MPF), which tried to stop the operation by multiplying the appeals to the courts, warned of the consequences, stressing this week that the aircraft carrier “currently contains 9.6 tons of asbestos, a potentially toxic and carcinogenic substance, as well as 644 tonnes of ink and other hazardous materials.
An area some 350 kilometers off the Brazilian coast, 5,000 meters deep, was considered “the safest” for this scuttling, according to the press release from the Brazilian Ministry of Defense and Navy.
