A dispute between the steel producer Gerdau and the Brazilian state oil company Petrobras has halted the dismantling operations of the drilling platform P-32, by the shipyard Estaleiro Rio Grande, located in the Brazilian southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
After the end of its operational life, P-32 was acquired last year by Gerdau from Petrobras, for dismantling and utilization of the ferrous scrap as raw material for its steel production.
But according to the local press, 500 liters of marine fuel and an undisclosed volume of contaminated waters were found inside P-32, and the companies have entered in a deadlock: Petrobras claims that cleaning is an attribution of the buyer, while Gerdau understands that the platform should have been cleaned before the sale.
The dismantling is halted since January, and in the meantime, 54 out of the 200 workers hired for the dismantling were already dismissed.
According to Petrobras, the parts are discussing responsibilities and measures to solve the dispute “under safety, legal and environmental requirements”.
For its turn, Gerdau informs that “its is working to resume the dismantling activities as soon as possible, under the conditions imposed by the authorities, while changing, when possible, the activities under the limitations imposed”.
The shipyard claimed that it has lost two repairment commissioning during the period, as the vessels to be repaired were not able to access its facilities due to the presence of P-32 in the entrance.