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Impasse over environmental responsibility between Petrobras and Gerdau delays dismantling of platform P-32 and impacts national schedule for the sector.
The dismantling of the first oil platform in Brazilian territory, an operation considered historic for the naval sector and steel industry, faces a significant delay due to a standoff between two giants: Petrobras and Gerdau, according to the website InfoMoney.
The P-32 platform, weighing around 45 thousand tons, had its dismantling process interrupted after the discovery of toxic waste, raising a complex dispute over who should bear the costs of cleaning.
Conflict between Petrobras and Gerdau halts operations
In 2023, Petrobras sold the P-32 platform to Gerdau, which, in turn, hired Estaleiro Rio Grande, from Ecovix, in Rio Grande do Sul, to dismantle the vessel.
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Gerdau's objective was to transform the platform's metal structure into raw material for steel production at the company's unit in Charqueadas (RS).
However, the plan suffered a setback with the identification of 30 million liters of oily water and 270 thousand liters of diesel oil inside the platform, after its arrival at the shipyard.
The situation created a contractual impasse between Petrobras and Gerdau over who would be responsible for cleaning the ship, paralyzing the process for almost a year.
This delay not only impacted the P-32 schedule, but also put at risk the dismantling of the P-33 platform, also acquired by Gerdau from Petrobras, which may now have to be sent to another location.
Dismantling begins late and under tension
Initially scheduled to be completed in 12 months, the P-32 operation only began in March 2025. According to Benito Gonçalves, president of the region's metalworkers' union, work is currently underway only on the platform's upper structures.
The lower part can only be dismantled after the toxic waste has been completely removed, which should be done by a specialized company hired in May.
Even with the diesel oil removed, the oily water remains a challenge. Meanwhile, the cost of keeping the vessel at the shipyard has already exceeded the R$30 million initially agreed upon in the contract between Gerdau and Ecovix.
Petrobras continues to monitor the “recycling plan”, but does not publicly assume responsibility for the vessel’s environmental conditions.
Threatened opportunities for the naval sector
This episode highlights the obstacles that Brazil still faces in consolidating itself as a power in the platform dismantling and decommissioning sector.
In the next decade, the country is expected to become the third largest global market in this segment, behind only the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea.
Petrobras, in fact, plans to invest US$9,9 billion over the next five years in the dismantling of at least ten platforms.
However, disputes such as the one between Petrobras and Gerdau reveal the practical obstacles of the operation.
The lack of contractual clarity and more precise technical assessments ends up undermining the predictability of the process, in addition to compromising the schedules of Brazilian shipyards, such as Rio Grande, which should also receive the P-33 after the completion of the P-32.
