In March 2024, US prison ships left the coast of Brazil, which is false

It is not true that US prison ships sail off the coast of Brazil, as claimed by posts with over 12,000 views on social media since March 10, 2024. These posts use images of a “floating prison” in the United Kingdom. And a North American ship will end its operations as a prison in 2023, becoming the last in the country. The navy denied to AFP that the ships had passed through Brazilian waters for this purpose.

“Some US ships, such as these, sail through Brazilian territory. They are real prisons. What would they be doing here?”, reads the caption of a post that day X With two photographs of ships.

Content also spreads telegramat Facebook And inside Instagram.

Screenshot from X (.) post on March 14, 2024

However, it is false that US prison ships sail off the coast of Brazil.

“Floating Prison” in England

Through a reverse search on Google, AFP found one of the shared images – a boat passing by a large ship – publication A website specializing in maritime content Maritime, produced aboard BP Stockholm in July 2023. The ship was nicknamed “”.Floating prison“Because it is used by the UK to catch migrants crossing illegally English channel.

On the website, the film is credited as a remake of a YouTube video by the British broadcaster Sky News.

By searching the ship's name on the Sky News channel on the platform, frame A publication July 2023.

AFP and other media also reported the ship's start of operations in Portland, England (1, Two)

A prison ship in New York

By reverse search, the other image is located in a publication Produced on the Flickr platform in September 2006. According to the title, it is Vernon C. in New York. Paine is the prison center.

According to Department of Punishment From New York, the ship began operating as a prison in 1992. International press reports (1, Two) also reported that the center was built as a temporary measure to reduce overcrowding in the city's jails. Since then, the ship has remained intact Anchored in southern Bronx County.

The prison's operations ended in October 2023, serving as the last prison ship in the United States.

Sailing in Brazilian lands?

AFP Checamos contacted the press office of the Brazilian Navy (MB), which reported on March 14, 2024 “To date, MB ship tracking systems have no record of US 'prison ships' transiting waters under Brazilian jurisdiction.”.

At the time of writing this text, there are no reports published by the Brazilian press of any prison ship sailing off the Brazilian coast.

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