BHP Billiton shares have stemmed their slide after Brazil's federal court ratified a settlement reached with the country's authorities over a deadly dam spill.
Under the agreement reached in March, Samarco - an equal joint venture between BHP and Brazil's Vale - will pay up to $US2.3 billion ($A3.08 billion) over six years.
It will also set up a fund for restoration work and to provide compensation for damages caused by the tailings dam spill.
The dam collapse at the Samarco mine caused a massive spill of waste material, polluting a major river and killing at least 17 people, besides leaving hundreds homeless in what has been called the country's worst environmental disaster.
"The agreement provides a framework that Samarco, its shareholders and the Brazilian authorities agree is the best way of managing the ongoing response to the Samarco tragedy," BHP Billiton said in a statement on Friday.
The court approval is likely to diminish the prospects for a separate $US43 billion ($A57.64 billion) civil lawsuit that was filed on Tuesday by federal prosecutors, who have criticised the March settlement as inadequate.
Since then, BHP shares tumbled nearly 12 per cent over two sessions as investors baulked at the possibility of a near 20-fold increase in compensation for the Samarco disaster.
But the shares gained as much as two per cent on Friday.
BHP and Vale have said they stand by the original, smaller agreement reached with the federal and regional government authorities in Brazil as part of a 15-year settlement.
Meanwhile, Samarco has begun seeking approvals that will enable it to restart operations.
While BHP did not specify any time frame, it said operations would only restart once all regulatory approvals were in place and it is safe to do so.
It also said Samarco's response effort to the accident is making progress.
The miner plans to launch in July a foundation to implement the social and economic programs at the site, and has shortlisted locations to rebuild the most impacted communities.
BHP said Samarco has already built three containment dykes to contain tailings that had spilled from the dam facility, in an effort to prevent them from entering nearby rivers.
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