The Port of Açu received the Floating Storage and Transfer Unit/ P-33, starting the execution of a Docking & Services contract for Petrobras. The P33 is the first of three units the operator has already signed in this first contract, which will be moored at the port-industry complex in Rio de Janeiro.

The agreement includes, among other services, the availability of docks for vessels, hull cleaning and the disposal of waste and effluents. The units can remain at the Port of Açu for up to three years, according to the current contract.

The agreement with Petrobras is the first step in the Port of Açu’s strategy to house Brazil’s first Sustainable Decommissioning Hub, which includes Temporary Berthing, Pre-Decommissioning and Platform Decommissioning activities.

The guidelines of the sustainable model include actions such as minimizing waste generation and preventing impacts on biodiversity, based on circular economy principles with the reuse of materials and equipment. The activities include Brazilian infrastructure, technology and labor.

“We want to make Açu a platform of excellence in sustainable decommissioning, following the best international practices and offering local content for the final phase of the exploration and production cycle,” said Eugênio Figueiredo, CEO of Porto do Açu.

The current stage of berthing, being carried out for Petrobras, brings advantages such as the release of operational areas for the operator, in order to meet the deadlines agreed with the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), flexibility to define sales windows between assets and compliance with the best safety and environmental management practices. In addition, the cost of keeping a fixed or floating production or exploration unit moored in the Port of Açu can be up to five times lower and much safer than offshore.

For Alex Murteira Célem, General Manager of Petrobras’ UN-BC (Campos Basin Exploration and Production Business Unit), “the partnership with Açu opens up very positive prospects, as it makes it possible to carry out the services needed to tow the Units to shipyards where green dismantling will take place, in a controlled environment and with a reduced team, in line with Petrobras’ commitment to sustainability throughout the life cycle of its Units,” said Murteira.

The Pre-Dismantling activity, which can also be carried out in Açu, includes the removal of Topside, Upcycling of Equipment, Inertization and Cleaning of Lines and Tanks. The next stage of the plan, still in the study phase, envisages the installation of a Complete Dismantling Hub at the port complex. This requires investments in infrastructure and equipment to bring the vessel to Impermeable Ground, Cutting and Dismantling activities, among others.

Currently, Brazil has no specialized terminal for decommissioning vessels.

Among the differentials of the Port of Açu are its proximity to the Campos Basin, the possibility of berthing multiple units and equipment (monobuoys and fixed) for a long period of time, licensing and capacity to remove biofouling (sun coral), a unified control center for risk and emergency management and integration with the existing scrap logistics in the country.

“Açu has one of the best infrastructures in the country for sustainably supporting the oil and gas decommissioning industry, with ample draft, available area with direct access to the quay and a service cluster that brings together various suppliers for port and maritime support,” adds Vinicius Patel, Port Administration director at Porto do Açu.

Today, the project has quays available to simultaneously handle three platforms for Pre-Decommissioning activities, with the possibility of expanding to eight units in less than a year and with a low investment. In addition to Petrobras, other operators and unit owners have already begun talks with Porto do Açu to carry out these services in support of their decommissioning and dismantling strategies.

Press info:
Elaine Silva – elaine.silva@danthi.com.br 21 97961-1005
Thaina Halac – thaina@danthi.com.br 21 97524-9955
Rafael Bolsoni – rafael@danthi.com.br 21 999759525