Accident at the Landulpho Alves Refinery (RLAM) causes massive air displacement, throwing equipment through the air and scaring workers

Last Wednesday, May 12, around noon, scaffolding, piping, valves, and thermal insulation were blown up with an explosion in Unit 38 (H2 line) of the Landulpho Alves Refinery (RLAM), owned by Petrobras, located in Bahia.

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A unit worker said he was about 30 meters from the site when the explosion occurred, "the air displacement was gigantic, the noise and silence, immediately afterwards, deafening", he said.

The direction of the Bahia Oil Workers Union (Sindipetro-BA) and the Single Federation of Oil Workers (FUP) said that, fortunately, there were no victims, but the scenario could have been of many deaths if the accident had happened outside of lunch time . Representatives of both entities have already contacted RLAM management to follow up on investigations into the cause of the explosion.

Refinery has been working with reduced staff

RLAM, in Bahia, is on a maintenance shutdown. Petrobras decided to implement O&M (Organization and Method) and, since 2017, the refinery has been operating with reduced staff.

Sindipetro and FUP tried to prevent the implantation, even through the courts, through the Labor Public Prosecutor's Office, alleging serious consequences such as the existence of work groups without any operator. This obliges RLAM tankers to give up their days off to cover these empty spaces and ensure that the plant continues to operate.

The Petrobras RLAM refinery is located in São Francisco do Conde, in the state of Bahia, and has a processing capacity of 333 barrels/day (14% of Brazil's total oil refining capacity), and its assets include four storage terminals and a set of oil pipelines that connect the refinery and the terminals, totaling 669 km in length.

After facing legal battles with unions and oil workers, Petrobras completes the sale of the RLAM refinery, in Bahia, for US$1,65 billion

Despite Unions and oil workers trying to prevent the sale of the Landulpho Alves Refinery, Petrobras informed, in a relevant fact yesterday afternoon (24/03), that it concluded, with the Mubadala Capital group, the contract for the sale of shares in the company RLAM and its associated logistics assets, in the state of Bahia, for US$ 1,65 billion.

According to Petrobras, the contract provides for adjustments to the sale value, depending on changes in working capital, net debt and investments until the closing of the transaction. The oil company also informs that the operation is subject to the fulfillment of conditions precedent, such as approval by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE).

“Until the conditions precedent are fulfilled and the transaction closes, Petrobras will normally maintain the operation of the refinery and all associated assets. After closing, Petrobras will continue to support Mubadala Capital in RLAM operations during a transition period. This will happen under a service provision agreement, avoiding any operational interruption. Petrobras and Mubadala Capital reaffirm their strict commitment to operational safety at RLAM in all phases of the operation,” Petrobras said in the statement.