In a primary, Brazilian oil firm Petrobras final week reportedly bought the P-32 FPSO for sustainable recycling in Brazil, paving the way in which for the event of the native ship recycling trade.
The sale of the floating unit P-32 reportedly occurred on July 7, 2023. In a collaboration supervised by Petrobras, the metal firm Gerdau S.A. and shipyard Ecovix have been entrusted with the accountable and environmentally sound recycling of the FPSO.
“This decision marks the first time a commercial vessel at the end of its lifecycle will be dismantled in Brazil. This significant move not only paves the way for the development of a recycling industry in Brazil but also sets an important precedent for the shipping and oil and gas sectors, encouraging other ship owners to adopt similar strategies for capacity building,” stated Nicola Mulinaris, Senior Communication and Policy Advisor, NGO Shipbreaking Platform.
According to Shipbreaking Platform, over the following 5 years, Petrobras is anticipated to retire no less than 26 offshore platforms, with a projected funding of US$9.8 billion allotted in the direction of decommissioning actions.
Just just a few months in the past, Shipbreaking Platform famous, the oil and gasoline big introduced the adoption of a brand new coverage mandating the recycling of vessels solely in amenities outfitted with dry-docks or impermeable surfaces with drainage programs.
“This off the beach stance places the company among an increasing number of responsible ship owners, including competitors SBM Offshore and Shell, that are choosing facilities with infrastructure enabling the safe and environmentally sound management of their end-of-life assets,” Shipbreaking Platform stated.
“After years of selling numerous old vessels for dirty and dangerous shipbreaking on the shores of South Asia, Petrobras has finally committed to environmental stewardship by unequivocally disavowing such practices. Moreover, their decision to opt for a domestic solution, leveraging the state-of-the-art infrastructure available in Brazil, showcases that it is possible to find alternative and better solutions to beaching.”
Shipbreaking Platform’s Nicola Mulinaris stated.
According to World Energy Reports, the P-32 FPSO, the primary FPSO set to be recycled in Brazil, was constructed by way of a conversion of the 1974-built single-hull VLCC Cairu. Conversion was carried out at AESA Cadiz.
Info on the World Energy Reports web site reveals that the conversion contract for Cairu was initially awarded to the Brazilian yard Verolme-Ishibras (IVI) for a worth of $93 million. In February 1996, the IVI contract was canceled, and the Cairu conversion was given to AESA Cadiz yard. Bluewater equipped the inner turret. The FPSO was put in on the Marlim subject in Aug 1997.
The inner turret-moored FPSO had a manufacturing capability of 116,000 barrels of oil per day, and a storage capability of 1,774,000 barrels of oil.
