On October 22, Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) hosted the 2nd Offshore Decommissioning Seminar: Challenges and Opportunities in Rio de Janeiro. The event brought together government officials, oil and gas industry leaders, legal experts, and academics to discuss advances and challenges in one of the most complex stages of offshore infrastructure life cycles. WSB was represented by Pedro Pellegrini, Intern Shipbroker at the company.
The main highlight came from Carlos Castilho, Petrobras’ General Manager for Decommissioning Projects, who presented the company’s long-term plan to decommission ten offshore platforms by 2050, including five FPSOs and five semi-submersibles, all in the Campos Basin. Platforms P-32 and P-33 are currently awaiting dismantling at shipyards and will be among the first to undergo sustainable recycling or reuse.
Petrobras also revealed plans to invest around USD 9.9 billion in decommissioning activities over the next five years. The program includes the removal and repurposing of subsea equipment, wells, monobuoys, flexible lines, and onshore facilities. Castilho clarified that Petrobras will not use PLSVs for line removal, as the operations are part of decommissioning, not standard maintenance, highlighting market opportunities for new entrants.
Over four technical panels and an opening session, participants debated key themes such as the economic relevance of decommissioning, investment opportunities, regulatory challenges, engineering solutions, circular economy, and metrics for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Pedro Pellegrini highlighted the sector’s opportunities, stating: “Brazil, according to S&P Global, is among the world’s leaders in projected offshore decommissioning investments between 2024 and 2033. This is a segment that already generates — and will continue to generate — thousands of jobs and business opportunities. At WSB, we aim to stay closely informed on developments in this evolving landscape.”
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