Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo said on Tuesday that it is impossible to predict if the problem is nearing an end.
The first oil slicks were detected on August 30, and, according to him, there is no way to measure quantities or what to anticipate.
"The length of time, we don't know yet. We are perfecting the processes. We have been working since September 2," the minister said during a press conference to present the balance of activities in response to the environmental emergency.
The navy reported that waste was detected on Tuesday in 19 more locations, requiring cleaning operations, but did not detail what they are.
On Monday (28), the oil reappeared in nine beaches: Via Costeira and Buzios, in Rio Grande do Norte; Conceição and Itapuama, in Pernambuco; Japaratinga and Piaçabuçu, in Alagoas; Abaís, in Sergipe; Morro de São Paulo and Moreré, Bahia.
For now, since the spill was first noticed, 254 sites have been hit, including beaches, mangroves, and estuaries.
One thousand twenty-seven tons of waste have been collected on a 2,500-kilometer stretch of coast. Navy technicians have been discussing with universities researchers protocols for cleaning some places, considering that environmental damage of this magnitude is unprecedented in the Brazilian coast.
The difficulty level is high in the mangroves and requires removal of tar with the hands.
Pollution has advanced to the south, having reached the region of Ilhéus (BA).
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon