The General Audit Office (AGN) concluded that "the Argentina Naval Prefecture (PNA) fulfills its mission" in the prevention of oil pollution from ships or marine engineering. It also recommended "continuing the preventive control, which to date showed positive results."

In its report adopted this year, the AGN acknowledged the good performance of the Prefecture finding that "global statistics in Argentina is not mentioned in the heading of spills or environmental accidents caused by the spreading of oil on the water". While the watchdog acknowledged that the country is not in the ‘petroleum path’ the waters under the jurisdiction of the auditee have varying degrees of sensitivity and therefore "need continuous monitoring in order to avoid contamination problems."

Regarding inspections, the audit recommended "preventive mechanisms continue as at present showed good results." It also noted that the prevention of environmental pollution by oil is rising because "the oil becomes increasingly important as the main energy source on the planet". However, as a fun fact, the auditors found that "the concern of the Prefecture for water pollution has its origins in June 1810, when the first Captain of the Port, Colonel Martin James Thompson, issued regulations on construction ships and the prohibition of throwing ballast water," among other issues.

Some Observations

Next to the good performance of the Prefecture, the report makes some considerations regarding the work of the PNA; one of them is related to the "lack of mechanisms for citizen participation in the preservation and protection of the environment." It is that, by law 25,675, "everyone has the right to comment on the authorization of activities that generate negative effects on the ecosystem." In addition, "the authorities must ensure those instances of consultation or public hearing". However, the Watchdog revealed that the prefecture did not.

The AGN said that "the PNA attaches great importance to staff training at different echelons," for example, all NCOs require them to have full high school education, and in turn, "foster both internal training and external "through courses which also involve foreign scholars. The auditors said that "all this effort instructional indirectly affects negatively to the good performance of tasks, since staff turnover makes those who are trained in environmental protection are allocated to other tasks in the institution and is due proceed to the formation of a new agent."

As for the inspection function carried out by the PNA, the National Audit Office noted that the repetition of inspectors in enterprises and localities can affect objectivity "to carry out the tasks with a staff of 28 officers the risk that runs" and impartiality of the work. " To support his observation, AGN said that "inspections to firms in charge of coastal oil and monobuoys there is an inspector who concentrated more than half of the checks, punctually 57%" and companies that manage ports " only three inspectors meet 58% of controls. "

The auditors conducted field work between March and September 2010 and in that period; one of the places they visited was the station Rescue Service, Fire and Environmental Protection (SIPA) Port Complex San Lorenzo - Puerto San Martin, in the province of Santa Fe. There they found that "the station acts as a fire station in the municipality and away from their specific functions" related to environmental accidents. The report detailed that exists, by the SIPA "strong support for the local fire service events in the municipality of San Martin", such as in fires and road accidents.