Demands from distributors threaten fuel supply in the Amazon

Criticize

Drivers of vessels that transport fuel in the Amazon ask for an end to the mandatory vetting

Manaus (AM) – Last week, the National Federation of Waterway Navigation Companies (Fenavega) sent an official letter to the Attorney General’s Office in the Federal District, in Brasília, requesting immediate measures to cease the mandatory vetting for vessels that transport fuel in the Amazon.

Vetting is a private certification of operating standards created by the international institution Oil Companies lnternational Marine Forum (OCIMF) for vessels that transport oil products at sea and in the ocean, but which has also come to be required by local distributors for ferries that sail with the product in the State.

According to the president of Fenavega, and vice-president of the National Transport Confederation (CNT), Raimundo Holanda Cavalcante, currently, the Amazonian transport companies operate in accordance with the technical regulations, security inspections and inspections required by the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) and by the Directorate of Ports and Coasts (DPC) of the Brazilian Navy, the only body that, according to Law 9,537/1997, has the attribution of editing the rules for the country’s vessels.

Also according to Holanda, with the new requirement imposed by the distributors, the carriers in Amazonas will have to pay R$ 275,000 for each ferry that inspects the companies chosen by the distributors themselves, in addition to stopping activities for a month.

“Amazon carriers bear the costs of the rigorous annual inspections carried out by the Navy to obtain the Declaration of Conformity and the Navigation Safety Certificate, required by Brazilian law, which attest that the vessel is in compliance and able to operate and will now have have to pay annually for this levy by the distributors, which is only used for maritime navigation. It will be very difficult to maintain operations and the regularity of the service, because the prices are too high and will end up being passed on to the population”,

explained the director of Fenavega.

Threat

Holanda also warned that the fact that distributors do not accept and recognize the certificates and declarations issued by the national maritime public authority represents a serious case of usurpation of the functions attributed by law exclusively to the Brazilian Navy, which will have its work of decades compromised and questioned by public opinion.

The president of Fenavega also warns that if there is no agreement between the parties, the regularity of the supply of petroleum derivatives to Manaus and to the other municipalities in the interior will be completely subject to this vetting inspection required by the fuel distributors and that even has enough inspectors to attend the number of vessels in operation.

“That is, in addition to earning a lot of money to carry out inspections that are not required by Brazilian law, they will regulate the number of vessels, product and also the value that this will reach the final consumer, since they will control what and when will be transported”,

finished.

*With advisory information

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