The collision of a pusher tug with the 'Mercosul Santos' near Óbidos, in Pará, in which nine of the 11 crew members of the tug died, was caused by a failure to comply with navigation rules
The collision of a pusher tug with the 'Mercosul Santos' near Óbidos, in Pará, in which nine of the 11 crew members of the tug died, was caused by a failure to comply with navigation rules. The Pará Civil Police indicted two people, the immediate (function just below commander) Raimundo Cruz and the practical Flávio Lins Barbosa, for the accident between the pusher tug if the Bertolini company and the 'Mercosul Santos' on Aug 2, 2017 on the Amazon River near the municipality of Óbidos. According to the Civil Police, the indictment was based on five months of investigation, depositions and audios captured by the ship's data recording system. The audios did not show communication between the pusher and the ship. The lack of contact and misunderstandings on the part of the crew of the 'Mercosul Santos' had been decisive for the collision. Raimundo Cruz and Flávio Lins were accused for crimes related to maritime and fluvial navigation. The sentence may amount up to 12 years of imprisonment. The investigation now was handed over to the State Public Prosecutor's Office of Pará. On Dec 5, the tug had lifted from the bottom of the river and the missing crew members were recovered.