The Grael Project/Rumo Náutico Institute "will not take part" in the Guanabara Bay cleanup plan, according to GLOBO ESPORTE. In a unanimous decision on Monday, the entity's board of directors "backed down from assuming management of the ecoboats and ecobarriers that would help clean the floating trash spread throughout the water." Last week, the Rio de Janeiro state government announced the hiring of Rumo Náutico in a "characteristic of urgency" for the period of 18 months for R$20M ($6.3M). Rumo Náutico founder Axel Grael "considered the decision of the board of directors prudent and correct, and cited 'institutional limitations'" of the non-governmental organization (GLOBO ESPORTE, 3/30). In São Paulo, Doro & Konchinski reported Rio's environment secretary André Corrêa said, "I understand the decision. It shows that they are serious people and they don't want to take advantage [of the situation]. But I still want to count on the collaboration of the Grael Project. We won't have an agreement, but they have technical knowledge of the Guanabara Bay that nobody else has." According to Corrêa, the Rumo Náutico's "'no' will slow down the restarting of the location cleanup process." Corrêa added, "I'm not relaxed in relation to the cleanup of the [Olympic] lane that would be used until then. We can try other emergency measures" (UOL, 3/30).
