What is a tragic accident?
The shipwreck of Bateau Mouche IV
Where did this happen?
Off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When did this happen?
On New Year's Eve, 31 December 1988
What was the plan?
According to the plan, the boat was going to cruise along the coast off Rio de Janeiro. From the pier at Sol E Mar to the famous beach Copacabana and back again.
What was the purpose?
To celebrate the New Year. To watch the fireworks of Copacabana from the water
What happened?
The happy celebration of the New Year turned into a tragic disaster.
The boat was overloaded. And the weather was bad. When the boat left the bay and entered the open sea, the waves were one or two meters high.
The boat rocked from left to right. Suddenly it capsized. For a while it was still on the surface, but it was upside down!
Some passengers managed to crawl up on the bottom of the boat. They thought they were safe. But they were wrong, because soon the boat began to sink. First the bow disappeared, and then the whole boat was gone!
Passengers in the water were desperately calling for help. Around 100 were saved by other boats which arrived on the scene. But 55 lives were lost: men, women, and children.
The story of Bateau Mouche IV is a dark chapter of Brazilian history. The story is well-known in Brazil, but it is not well-known in the world outside Brazil.
There is a documentary film about this tragic accident:
Bateau Mouche:
O Naufrágio da Justiça
The English title of the film is:
Bateau Mouche:
Sinking Justice
This documentary film premiered in 2025.
Here is some basic information about it:
** Directors: Guto Barra and Tatiana Issa
** Writer: Guto Barra
** Language: Portuguese
** Subtitles: English
** Run time:
**** Episode # 1 = 48 minutes
**** Episode # 2 = 53 minutes
**** Episode # 3 = 56 minutes
**** Appendix = Behind the Scenes: The Making of Bateau Mouche = 12 minutes
The first episode is about the time before the disaster during the final hours of 31 December 1988
The second episode is about the disaster which happened around midnight and the rescue operation during the early hours of 01 January 1989
The third episode is about the time after the disaster: What has happened with this case during the years since the disaster?
The Appendix explains how this film was made.
Many scenes were reconstructed in a large water tank.
Archive footage was used as well as old photographs taken in 1988 or before that time
Several persons are interviewed in this film:
** Some survivors of the disaster
** Some relatives of people who did not survive the disaster
** Some reporters who have covered the case in the media
Once the survivors had been brought to dry land and once the dead bodies had been picked up in the water, it was time to begin an investigation:
How could such a tragic accident happen? Who was responsible? What could be done to assist the people whose relatives had died? What could be done to help the passengers who had survived?
The investigation of the case covered three different aspects of the law:
# 1. The civil law = this is about economic compensation to survivors and to the relatives of passengers who died during the disaster
# 2. The criminal law = this is about the responsibility of the owners. Will they be found guilty? Will they be punished? Will they have to pay a fine or will they be sentenced to go to prison?
# 3. The administrative law = this is about the authorities who licensed the boat to operate. And about the coastguard which stopped the boat and then allowed the boat to continue the cruise along the coast as planned.
Will the authorities be found guilty of negligence? Were the authorities bribed to issue a license to operate? Were the members of the coastguard bribed when the boat was allowed to continue the cruise as planned?
The authorities insisted they had not done anything wrong.
The authorities insisted they had not been bribed
The owners of the company which owned the boat were charged. They were found not guilty.
Three persons were blamed. The captain and two members of the crew.
Since the captain did not survive the disaster, he could not be punished.
Two waiters who had survived were sentenced to four years in prison. After serving one year, they were allowed to leave the prison for one day if they promised to return the next day. They left the prison and never returned!
What about economic compensation?
Some survivors have received some compensation after waiting for many years. Other survivors have not yet received any compensation at all.
During the investigation of the case, many significant details about the boat were revealed:
# 1. It was designed for still waters, like a river or a lake with small waves. It was not designed to operate in the open sea.
# 2. It was designed to carry around 25 passengers. But when an extra deck was added, the capacity was increased to 153 passengers.
# 3. Two water tanks had been added on the top deck. This was not a clever decision, because it made the boat more top-heavy and therefore less stable during bad weather.
# 4. The port holes were too close to the surface of the water. In rough weather water might enter the boat through the port holes unless they were carefully closed.
# 5. Four bilge pumps were installed to pump out water which accidentally entered the bottom of the boat. But three pumps were broken. Only one pump was working.
# 6. The toilets had a flush system which was flawed. When a toilet was flushed, water did not go out. Instead, water would enter the toilet.
# 7. The boat carried numerous life vests, but they were stored in an area where they were difficult to find. In an emergency, few passengers would be able to find a life vest to keep them safe in the water.
When these details were revealed, many people began to ask questions: how could a boat with so many flaws be allowed to operate?
How could a boat which was designed to carry around 25 passengers, suddenly be licensed to carry 153 passengers?
Ten years after the disaster, twenty years after the disaster, even thirty years after the disaster, many questions are still unanswered.
A reporter who is interviewed in this film makes the following observation:
In this tragic case from 1988 we can find everything which is wrong with our country:
** The authorities do not enforce the rules and regulations
** When an accident happens, they deny any wrongdoing
** The owners of a large company focus more on making a profit than on preserving and protecting the health and safety of clients and customers
** When an accident happens, they deny any wrongdoing and refuse to take responsibility for violating rules and regulations regarding health and safety
The story of Bateau Mouche IV is, in fact, the story of two disasters:
The first disaster happened when the overloaded boat capsized off the coast of Rio de Janeiro on 31 December 1988 and 55 lives were lost.
The second disaster happened when the survivors of the disaster and the relatives of passengers who died during the disaster called for justice.
This is why the directors decided that the subtitle of the film should be Sinking Justice.
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Bateau Mouche
A Brazilian poster for
the documentary film
(2025)
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