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Brazil prosecutors state blasting at Paranagua port should be halted pending death probe

Federal prosecutors in Brazil have recommended that the country's environment firm Ibama suspend blasting work in the bay of Paranagua port pending an examination into the death of a diver, according to a. statement on Wednesday.

The statement called on Ibama to instantly suspend the. license it had approved for the blasting work based upon possible. non-compliance with fundamental safety rules for people, specifically. employees on the work site, as well as prospective contamination. of the environment and risks to regional marine life.

Ibama did not right away respond to a request for remark.

Suspension of the work will likely stall conclusion of the. blasting task that began in 2021 to deepen the bay. The. public company that runs the port, Portos do Parana, said then. the job would improve navigability and security for ships.

Portos do Parana and TCP, the independently owned company that. handles the port's container terminal, said in declarations they. are working together with the authorities dealing with the investigation,. without elaborating.

TCP, a part of China Merchants Port Group, is. South America's largest container terminal.

Located near farming and industrialized areas in. southern Brazil, Paranagua is among nation's busiest ports,. together with Santos, in Sao Paulo state.

Last year, international grain traders delivered 14.6 million metric. tons of soybeans and 4.1 million tons of corn out of Paranagua,. according to delivering information.

The project was allocated at 23 million reais ($ 4.7 million).

(source: Reuters)