Vale (the "Company") announced today that its counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP ("Skadden") will retain on behalf of and at the direction of Vale, the following four outside experts (collectively, the "Expert Panel") who will provide an assessment of the technical causes of the rupture of Dam I in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais:

Dr. Peter K. Robertson, Technical Advisor, Gregg Drilling & Testing, Inc., and Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta; Chairperson of Expert Panel

Dr. Lucas de Melo, Senior Principal Engineer at Geosyntec Consultants, and Lecturer, The Johns Hopkins University;

Dr. David J. Williams, Golder Professor of Geomechanics and Director of Geotechnical Engineering Centre, School of Civil Engineering, University of Queensland; and

Dr. G. Ward Wilson, Professor of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, University of Alberta.  

The Company also announced that it is clarifying the previously disclosed roles of Skadden and the Expert Panel. Skadden was retained as legal counsel to the Company to provide legal advice regarding the rupture of Dam I in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais. The Expert Panel, which will work on a privileged basis at the direction of Skadden to assist it in rendering legal advice to the Company, will provide an assessment and report of the technical causes for the rupture of the dam.  In so doing, the Expert Panel will utilize its professional expertise and judgment.  Neither Skadden nor the Expert Panel will undertake their work independent of the Company and are not retained by the Extraordinary Independent Consulting Committee for Investigation.