Brazil: Brazil has sunk a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean despite warnings from environmental groups that the ageing warship was packed with toxic materials.

The Brazilian Navy remarked in a statement that the “planned and controlled sinking” occurred some 350 km (220 miles) off the Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean, in an area with an “approximate depth of 5,000 metres.”

Though defence officials stated that they would sink the Sau Paulo warship in the “safest area,” environmentalists expressed concerns over the act, claiming that the warship contained tonnes of asbestos, heavy metals, and other toxic materials that could leach into the water and pollute the marine food chain.

The Basel Action Network had called on newly-elected Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office last month pledging to reverse surging environmental destruction under far-right ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, to immediately halt the “dangerous” plan to scuttle the ship.

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a coalition of environmental, labor, and human rights organisations, described Brazil’s planned sinking of the Sao Paulo as potentially a “state-sponsored environmental crime.”

The group issued a joint statement with Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, claiming that the country violated “three international treaties” on the environment by sinking the ship, which the NGOs noted could cause “incalculable” damage to marine life and coastal communities.

“Other environmentally responsible measures could have been adopted, but once again, the importance of protecting the oceans, which are vital for the life of the planet, was treated with negligence,” Mr. Leandro Ramos, director of programs for Greenpeace Brazil, commented.

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