Special WSB: Por onde anda? Haidar

Por Onde Anda? Haidar

At around 8:45 a.m. on October 6, 2015, the Haidar, moored portside at Pier 302 in the Port of Vila do Conde, Barcarena, Pará, lost stability, listed and eventually sank. On board were nearly 5,000 live cattle bound for Venezuela. Although there were no human casualties, the accident became one of the worst socio-environmental disasters ever recorded in the state of Pará.

Built in 1994, the Haidar (IMO 9083067) sailed under the Lebanese flag and measured 116.96 metres in length, with a gross tonnage of 6,419. Originally built as a containership, the vessel was later converted into a livestock carrier. It was owned by Lebanese shipowner Hussein Ahmad Sleiman, operated by Tamara Shipping, and was carrying cargo belonging to Minerva S/A.

Nearly all of the animals drowned inside the vessel’s livestock pens, while an estimated 700,000 litres of fuel and diesel products spilled into the Pará River, contaminating beaches, aquatic ecosystems and disrupting the daily lives of riverside communities in Barcarena and Abaetetuba. The social impact was severe: beaches remained closed for weeks, local fishing activities declined sharply, and many residents temporarily left their homes for Belém and Abaetetuba to escape the overwhelming odour caused by the decomposition of thousands of animal carcasses.

In 2018, a Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC) secured compensation for affected families. However, another oil leak detected months later revealed that residual fuel remained trapped inside the wreck. An attempt to remove the vessel, awarded to Superpesa in 2019 under a BRL 44.6 million contract, also failed to move forward. The company was ultimately fined and suspended by Brazil’s National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) in 2022 for failing to complete the project. In the United Kingdom, a claim filed by the law firm Pogust Goodhead on behalf of more than 18,000 local residents against Salic (UK) Limited, an investor linked to Minerva, was dismissed in May 2026, not on the merits of the case, but over questions surrounding the legal standing of the claimants’ representation.

Por Onde Anda?

Ten years later, Haidar remains submerged at the same location in the Port of Vila do Conde. In November 2025, Brazil’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) filed a new civil lawsuit seeking the permanent removal of the wreck, warning that as much as 215,000 litres of oil may still be trapped inside the hull. The MPF argues that the wreck continues to pose environmental risks while restricting port operations in the surrounding berths. While the Federal Court has yet to issue a final decision, Haidar remains on the riverbed, where it has been since October 2015.