The 2015 edition of the operation had the largest number of Troops, vessels, and aircraft mobilized simultaneously under the coordination of the Naval Operations Command: 50 ships, 10 aircraft, 200 vessels, and 15,000 members of the Navy.
The 2015 edition of Operation Blue Amazon brought together the largest number of Brazilian Navy vessels, aircraft, and Troops ever mobilized simultaneously to improve public safety.
Fifteen-thousand members of the Navy were deployed throughout Brazil to monitor compliance with maritime and mining regulations and suppress illegal cross-border and environmental offenses along the 8,500 kilometers of the country’s coastline.
The operation, which took place from March 1-7, was the second of its kind, utilizing 50 ships, 200 additional vessels, and 10 aircraft. In addition to patrolling Brazil’s extensive coastline, authorities provided medical and dental care to civilians and fought environmental crimes in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso state as well as in other northern Brazilian cities, mainly in the states of Amapá and Amazonas.
One of the highlights of the operation was a Naval patrol of the Campos Basin, a region that covers part of the coastal areas of the states of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, where more than 80 percent of the country’s oil production is concentrated.
Operation Blue Amazon patrolled the entire length of the basin, which encompasses about 100,000 square kilometers of Brazil’s coastal waters. Together with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB, for its Portuguese acronym), the Navy conducted exercises to monitor fishing activities in the region and to ensure the security of oil platforms.
The Naval patrol involved the mobilization of the Navy’s Ceará Class landing ship NDD Ceará (G-30) and the Niterói Class frigate F Liberal (F-43). The participating FAB aircraft included the P-3AM and the P-95 UH-15 Super Cougar helicopter, which was used for the first time in conjunction with the G-30 Ship.
In addition to protecting one of the country’s most strategic economic regions, the surveillance effort in the Campos Basin is also part of preparatory exercises for the security initiatives that will be implemented during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Cooperation and collaboration
Patrolling the Campos Basin and other waterways required cooperation between the Navy, the Air Force, and other agencies and public institutions. The collaboration included about 450 representatives from various entities, including the Federal Police, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the Federal Revenue Service, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), and the Chico Mendes Biodiversity Conservation Institute (ICMBio).
Officials from these agencies coordinated their efforts to maximize public safety and issue fines to individuals and companies which violated the law. The Navy estimates that, in partnership with these institutions, law enforcement authorities issued fines totaling R$3.4 million (approximately $1 million) related to a wide range of irregularities, from lack of vessel documentation to alleged involvement in the illegal timber trade.
Law enforcement officials conducted 650 more inspections than they carried out during the first edition of Operation Blue Amazon, in 2014. Overall, authorities inspected 8,809 vessels, issued 1,281 notifications (citations for the owners and operators of vessels and boats which are not following the proper rules and regulations), and seized 259 boats.
The Command of the 6th Naval District, which is responsible for the waters of the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, mobilized 550 service members, who conducted patrols and inspections on the Paraguay River, between the mouth of the Apa River and the city of Cáceres (in southern Mato Grosso), and the São Lourenço and Cuiabá rivers, where there is significant fishing activity.
Overall, the command and of the 6th Naval District conducted 527 inspections and issued 108 notifications. The command also participated in exercises and training regarding firefighting, battle stations, abandoned stations, flooding, navigation in low visibility, rudderless navigation, and aircraft crashes.
In the north region, the commands of the 4th and 9th Naval Districts made arrests for suspected involvement in clandestine mining; seized arms and explosives; and also seized vessels lacking a qualified captain or proper registration documents. Naval authorities cited some boaters for carrying illegal cargo and for engaging in illegal fishing with nets larger than those permitted by IBAMA.
Health care for riverside communities in the north and midwest
While some Naval forces enforced the law, others provided medical and dental care to the civilian population. Operation Blue Amazon also distributed medicine and donations, and provided educational and recreational activities. A total of 27,197 medicines were distributed, and medical and dental care was provided to 3,700 people.
In Santana, Amapá state, the crew of a NAux Pará (U-15) – an auxiliary ship operating under the 4th Naval District – provided
112 health care procedures and dental services to 28 individuals, as well as distributed 855 medications. The ship’s personnel also offered recreational activities and educational lectures to children about navigation safety.
In the midwest region, the Tenente Maximiano Hospital Ship (U-28), operating under the 6th Naval District, visited Porto Albuquerque and Porto Morrinho in Mato Grosso do Sul state and Porto de Manga in Minas Gerais state. The ship’s personnel handled 58 medical care cases and 20 dental care cases, and distributed 1,887 medicines. Socially vulnerable populations along the banks of the Cuiabá River to the city of Porto Cercado and along the Paraguay River also received assistance and benefited from medical and dental care.
The 2015 edition of Operation Blue Amazon brought together the largest number of Brazilian Navy vessels, aircraft, and Troops ever mobilized simultaneously to improve public safety.
Fifteen-thousand members of the Navy were deployed throughout Brazil to monitor compliance with maritime and mining regulations and suppress illegal cross-border and environmental offenses along the 8,500 kilometers of the country’s coastline.
The operation, which took place from March 1-7, was the second of its kind, utilizing 50 ships, 200 additional vessels, and 10 aircraft. In addition to patrolling Brazil’s extensive coastline, authorities provided medical and dental care to civilians and fought environmental crimes in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso state as well as in other northern Brazilian cities, mainly in the states of Amapá and Amazonas.
One of the highlights of the operation was a Naval patrol of the Campos Basin, a region that covers part of the coastal areas of the states of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, where more than 80 percent of the country’s oil production is concentrated.
Operation Blue Amazon patrolled the entire length of the basin, which encompasses about 100,000 square kilometers of Brazil’s coastal waters. Together with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB, for its Portuguese acronym), the Navy conducted exercises to monitor fishing activities in the region and to ensure the security of oil platforms.
The Naval patrol involved the mobilization of the Navy’s Ceará Class landing ship NDD Ceará (G-30) and the Niterói Class frigate F Liberal (F-43). The participating FAB aircraft included the P-3AM and the P-95 UH-15 Super Cougar helicopter, which was used for the first time in conjunction with the G-30 Ship.
In addition to protecting one of the country’s most strategic economic regions, the surveillance effort in the Campos Basin is also part of preparatory exercises for the security initiatives that will be implemented during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Cooperation and collaboration
Patrolling the Campos Basin and other waterways required cooperation between the Navy, the Air Force, and other agencies and public institutions. The collaboration included about 450 representatives from various entities, including the Federal Police, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the Federal Revenue Service, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), and the Chico Mendes Biodiversity Conservation Institute (ICMBio).
Officials from these agencies coordinated their efforts to maximize public safety and issue fines to individuals and companies which violated the law. The Navy estimates that, in partnership with these institutions, law enforcement authorities issued fines totaling R$3.4 million (approximately $1 million) related to a wide range of irregularities, from lack of vessel documentation to alleged involvement in the illegal timber trade.
Law enforcement officials conducted 650 more inspections than they carried out during the first edition of Operation Blue Amazon, in 2014. Overall, authorities inspected 8,809 vessels, issued 1,281 notifications (citations for the owners and operators of vessels and boats which are not following the proper rules and regulations), and seized 259 boats.
The Command of the 6th Naval District, which is responsible for the waters of the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, mobilized 550 service members, who conducted patrols and inspections on the Paraguay River, between the mouth of the Apa River and the city of Cáceres (in southern Mato Grosso), and the São Lourenço and Cuiabá rivers, where there is significant fishing activity.
Overall, the command and of the 6th Naval District conducted 527 inspections and issued 108 notifications. The command also participated in exercises and training regarding firefighting, battle stations, abandoned stations, flooding, navigation in low visibility, rudderless navigation, and aircraft crashes.
In the north region, the commands of the 4th and 9th Naval Districts made arrests for suspected involvement in clandestine mining; seized arms and explosives; and also seized vessels lacking a qualified captain or proper registration documents. Naval authorities cited some boaters for carrying illegal cargo and for engaging in illegal fishing with nets larger than those permitted by IBAMA.
Health care for riverside communities in the north and midwest
While some Naval forces enforced the law, others provided medical and dental care to the civilian population. Operation Blue Amazon also distributed medicine and donations, and provided educational and recreational activities. A total of 27,197 medicines were distributed, and medical and dental care was provided to 3,700 people.
In Santana, Amapá state, the crew of a NAux Pará (U-15) – an auxiliary ship operating under the 4th Naval District – provided
112 health care procedures and dental services to 28 individuals, as well as distributed 855 medications. The ship’s personnel also offered recreational activities and educational lectures to children about navigation safety.
In the midwest region, the Tenente Maximiano Hospital Ship (U-28), operating under the 6th Naval District, visited Porto Albuquerque and Porto Morrinho in Mato Grosso do Sul state and Porto de Manga in Minas Gerais state. The ship’s personnel handled 58 medical care cases and 20 dental care cases, and distributed 1,887 medicines. Socially vulnerable populations along the banks of the Cuiabá River to the city of Porto Cercado and along the Paraguay River also received assistance and benefited from medical and dental care.
Peace is always good and worth praise.