A Brazilian court has seized about BRL 10 million ($3 million) in assets of Anglo American in Brazil following the burst of a slurry pipeline in the state of Minas Gerais that spilled 450 cubic meters of iron ore in 45 minutes, according to public prosecutors.
The seizure was a result of a request of state prosecutors at the Ministerio Publico Federal in Minas Gerais (MPF-MG).
Anglo American’s slurry pipeline has remained halted since the incident. The pipeline transports the company’s iron ore from its Minas-Rio iron ore project. Despite the halt in production, the company said iron ore sales have not been affected, as it has some 700,000 mt of the commodity in inventory.
Anglo American was also ordered to pay an independent environmental auditor within 120 days to investigate current pollution levels, the pipeline’s current operating and maintenance conditions, as well as how the company could mitigate damages to the environment and to human health.