Brazil sues Chevron for $10.6bn oil spill damage

Brazilian federal prosecutors late on Wednesday sued US-based Chevron and rig operator Transocean for $10.6bn in damages following environmental harm alleged to have been caused by an oil leakage in early November.

Prosecutors also asked the court to force the companies to shut down operations at the Frade field in Brazil until the case is resolved. The Frade field site, where the spill occurred, is Chevron’s biggest capital investment.

“During an investigation, the attorney general’s office found that Chevron and Transocean were not capable of controlling the damage from a spill of 3,000 barrels of oil, proving a lack of environmental planning and management,” a prosecutors’ statement said.