On September 3, a major industrial accident occurred at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard, resulting in a Brazilian shipowner representative of a ship under construction falling into the sea and dying.
According to a notification from the Changwon Maritime Police Station and other relevant authorities in South Korea, at approximately 11:56 a.m. on September 3, authorities received a report that an accident had occurred at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje City, South Gyeongsang Province, involving the 150,000-ton-class floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO) P-79. Three workers fell into the sea as a result of the accident.
According to reports from the Changwon Maritime Police Station and other departments in South Korea, at around 11:56 am on September 3, the police received a report that an accident occurred on the 150,000 DWT floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) P-79 at the Hanwha Ocean’s yard in Geoje City, South Gyeongsang Province, and three workers fell into the sea.
At the time of the incident, the stern crane winch onboard was undergoing a load test. During the test, the structure collapsed and fell, presumably due to an inability to withstand the weight.
Rodrigo Reis Barreto, 39, an employee of Petrobras overseeing the test on-site, fell into the sea and tragically lost his life. Two other workers were found hanging from the structure and were rescued with stable vital signs.
Hanwha Ocean said that it immediately suspended all related operations after the accident and is investigating the cause of the accident with relevant departments while taking safety measures.
The Tongyeong Branch of South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) has sent labor inspectors to the scene to investigate matters including whether foreign national Mr. A – who is not an employee of Hanwha Ocean – falls under the category of “workers” as defined by the Serious Accident Punishment Act. The Changwon Coast Guard is also investigating the specific details of the accident.
Following the incident, Petrobras promptly established a special investigation committee to probe the fatality involving its employee. The company stated: “We deeply regret this accident. We have taken appropriate measures in coordination with local authorities and are providing support to the employee’s family.”
Meanwhile, the the Federation of Oil Workers of Brazil (FUP, abbreviation of the Portuguese “Federação Única dos Petroleiros”) issued a statement of condolence, emphasizing: “The accident investigation must be fully transparent, with effective participation by union representatives to determine the causes, correct deficiencies, and prevent such tragedies from recurring. FUP will continue to closely monitor Petrobras and the work of the investigation committee the company has announced. FUP reaffirms more firmly than ever that workers’ lives must take precedence over any production targets or plans.”
It is understood that the incident occurred on the FPSO P-79 platform. Hanwha Ocean (formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) and Saipem signed a construction contract for this platform in 2021, with a total value of approximately $2.3 billion. According to information released by Hanwha Ocean in early August, the construction of P-79 is nearing completion and is currently in the integration and commissioning phase.
The FPSO P-79 is planned for deployment at Brazil’s Bezios oil field, with a design capacity of 180,000 barrels of crude oil and 7.2 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, and a maximum oil storage capacity of 2 million barrels.