On 23 November, Petrobras unmoored the P-32 floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the Marlim Field of the Campos Basin. Two days later, it started navigating the platform to the Rio Grande shipyard, where the company says it will undergo a recycling process aligned with the best global environmental, social, and governance practices.
The sale of P-32 to Gerdau, in partnership with the Ecovix shipyard, was completed in July. The unit will be the first floating platform to follow the new sustainable disposal model adopted by Petrobras. Another 11 floating units are expected to follow the same guidelines over the next 5 years.
“This is an important milestone,” said Petrobras CEO Jean Paul Prates. “With the P-32 already underway to the Rio Grande shipyard in Rio Grande do Sul, we will carry out the first green decommissioning in Brazil. And this is the first of many. Our Strategic Plan expects more than 20 units to be decommissioned. Our country has a strong steel-consuming industry. We are the ninth largest steel producing industry. In other words, we have the product available, a technology to be developed or under development, and the consumer market is present and safe. Therefore, I affirm that the decommissioning of platforms is an excellent opportunity for our local industry.”
The platform’s recycling plan, elaborated by Gerdau/Ecovix, was approved by Petrobras and covers everything from the first procedures for receiving the unit through the dismantling work, which will take place in a dry dock, to the final disposal of the waste resulting from dismantling.
Petrobras has said it will closely monitor the execution of the plan throughout the recycling process to ensure compliance with safety, environmental, occupational health, and social responsibility practices in a sustainable and auditable way.
The Green Recycling Policy for vessels adopted by Petrobras consists of the following:
- Implementing actions to minimize waste generation, prevent effects on biodiversity, and reuse equipment and encourage a circular economy
- Using only certified shipyards equipped with a dry dock or waterproofed land with a drainage system
- Previously inventorying existing material on the vessel in order to ensure suitable preparation of a recycling plan by the shipyard
- Recycle the fleet of vessels safely, protecting the environment and people working in the recycling yards
- Consider the requirements of the European Union Ship Recycling Resolution n. 1257/2013 in the case of international shipyards or, in the case of Brazilian ones, the operating licenses and compliance with applicable legislation, rules, and regulations on the environment and safety and health of workers, including management of subcontractors
- Act in accordance with commitments signed by Petrobras, including measures to control corruption and respect for internationally recognized human rights
Field Revitalization
The P-32 FPSO is one of 10 units that have operated in the Marlim and Voador fields in the Campos Basin. The Marlim and Voador Revitalization project consists of replacing nine of the fields’ units with the new Anna Nery and Anita Garibaldi FPSO vessels. These new units have the joint capacity to produce up to 150,000 B/D.
“With these replacements, we have reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by more than 50%,” said Alex Murteira Célem, general manager of the Campos Basin Exploration and Production Business Unit. “This is one of the fronts of the Campos Basin Renewal Plan, which foresees investment of $22 billion by 2028, with more than 200 new interconnected wells, in addition to four new FPSOs.”