Chevron's spill in November leaked as many as 3,000 barrels from sea-floor cracks [Reuters]

Brazilian prosecutors have said they will file criminal charges against 17 executives of Chevron and drilling contractor Transocean for a new oil leak near the offshore well where at least 110,000 gallons (about 416,000 liters) spilled late last year.

A federal judge in Rio de Janeiro state granted a request from prosecutors on Saturday, barring the 17 executives from leaving Brazil, pending criminal charges.

Charges are expected to be filed on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the prosecutors' press office.

Those targeted include George Buck, chief operating officer for Chevron's Brazilian division, federal prosecutors' spokesman Marcelo del Negri said by telephone.

Other than Buck, he did not know how many of the executives worked for California-based Chevron and how many for Transocean, the drilling contractor for the well where the leak occurred last year.

A spokeswoman for Chevron in Brazil said the company had no comment because it had not been notified of the decision. She asked not to be identified in line with internal regulations.

New oil seepage

On Thursday, Chevron confirmed that there was a "small new oil seepage" and that it was working to collect the crude.

The size of the new leak is unknown, Brazil's National Petroleum Agency, known as ANP said, explaining the leak was detected because an oil slick appeared on the ocean surface.

An ANP spokeswoman said the new leak was "not coming from the well; it's been sealed. It seems to be coming from fissures on the ocean floor near the well," where the leak occurred last year. She spoke on condition of anonymity, saying she was not authorized to discuss the matter.

Chevron has asked ANP for permission to halt all production activities, saying it wants to conduct a "comprehensive technical study" to better understand the reservoirs where it's drilling.

Ibama, Brazil's environmental protection agency said in a statement posted on its website that Chevron has until March 20 to provide "detailed information on the action taken to mitigate the environmental impact" of the new leak.

The new leak is another challenge for plans to safely extract oil from the offshore finds Brazil has seen in recent years. It's estimated at least 50 billion barrels of oil lie off Brazil's coast, the biggest discoveries in the Americas in three decades.

Oil started leaking from cracks on the ocean floor at the site of a Chevron appraisal well last November 7, about 370 kilometres off the northeastern coast of Rio de Janeiro state. About two weeks later, ANP said that the leak was under control.