Inside the Enormous, ‘Toxic’ Warship That Brazil Sank in the Atlantic

By admin On Feb 8, 2023

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The Sao Paolo was once the Brazilian Navy’s flagship warship. But as of February 4, it’s one of the biggest pieces of garbage in the ocean.

Five of 12 Super Etandard fighter bombers carried aboard the French aircraft carrier Foch are silhouetted against the morning sun as the Foch makes its way out of Cape Town harbour on its way to Rio de Janeiro 27 March 2000.

In March 2021, the Brazilian Navy sold the aircraft carrier as scrap to a shipyard in Turkey. But the ship was rejected by Turkish authorities as it had asbestos, a toxic material often found in 20th century ships.

After circling along Brazil’s coast for five months after it was rejected by Turkey, the warship was moved into international waters, Time reported.

On February 4, the Brazilian Navy sank the ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 217 miles off the coast of Brazil, per a press release from the Navy.

It was a controversial move: Several environmental rights organizations opposed the sinking of the ship because of the asbestos it contained.

“The sinking of the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo throws tons of asbestos, mercury, lead and other highly toxic substances into the seabed,” Greenpeace said in a statement, per Reuters.

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