Lessons learned from a mystery oil spill that hit the Brazilian coast in 2019

The oil spill of unknown origin that hit the Brazilian coast in 2019 led to the first activation of the National Contingency Plan, outside the scope of an exercise. The Brazilian Navy, the Environmental Agency and the Oil Agency worked together during the oil spill emergency at the Federal level, as the plan´s Monitoring and Evaluation Group. However, the distinctive characteristics and proportions of the incident demanded unanticipated actions. Therefore, this work aims to analyze the response actions, to evaluate policies and procedures in place and to propose improvements for the future. The paper discusses the anonymous and voluntary feedback from 150 professionals, obtained during the event, through a structured online form. The results of the survey are compared to findings in official documents, especially the Incident´s Final Report, prepared by the Brazilian Navy. The conclusion is that the Incident Command System, used to manage and coordinate clean-up operations, provided a swift and coordinated response as the oil reached the shore of 11 states. In contrast, there is a need to review the legal framework, including the Decree that established the National Contingency Plan, revisit response manuals, improve liaison and enhance communication channels among different authorities in the Brazilian Government.