Deactivated since 2017, the São Paulo aircraft carrier, whose exports are the subject of complaints by environmental organizations, is the largest vessel that has ever been part of the Brazilian Navy fleet, but it has had a history of problems since it arrived in the country in 2001.
With a length of 266 meters and weighing 31,000 tons, the ship has a capacity for up to 40 aircraft and its armament consisted of three dual missile launchers and large-caliber machine guns.
It was built in the late 1950s and named by the French Navy as Foch. She had a twin, the aircraft carrier Clemenceau, already dismantled. She was purchased in 2000 by the Brazilian Navy and arrived in the country in 2001.
In 2004, an explosion in a steam duct on the vessel killed three people. Soon after, in 2005, the aircraft carrier was sent for revitalization works and was only reincorporated into the fleet five years later.
The Navy even planned another modernization in 2015 to extend the ship’s lifespan to 2039, but decided to decommission the ship two years later. It was sold to Turkish Sök Denizcilik and Ticaret Limited for BRL 10.5 million in an auction held in 2021. This Friday, the Turkish government decided to bar entry on the grounds that the Brazilian government refuses to carry out a new analysis on the existence of asbestos. and other hazardous substances on the ship.
The sale process was questioned early on by environmentalists, who managed to ban the participation of Asian shipyards, limiting the list of interested parties to shipyards that met European requirements for handling toxic products.
According to experts, there are large amounts of asbestos in the vessel’s insulation systems. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform says that Clemenceau had 760 tons of the material, which is said to cause cancer and asbestosis, a chronic lung disease of occupational origin.
X-ray of the São Paulo aircraft carrier
- Year of purchase: 2000 by the Brazilian Navy
- Length: 266 meters
- Weight: 31 thousand tons
- Capacity: up to 40 aircraft
- Arsenal: armament consisted of three dual missile launchers and large-caliber machine guns
The São Paulo toxic waste report is questioned by environmental organizations, as it estimates the presence of less than ten tons of asbestos. The company responsible for the analysis, the Norwegian Grieg Green, admits that it was not able to access the entire vessel.
Based on these questions, the São Paulo-Foch Institute obtained an injunction in the Federal Court of Rio de Janeiro to prevent the ship from leaving Brazil, but the Navy said it could not comply with the order because the vessel was already in international waters.
Although it is the largest aircraft carrier to have integrated the Brazilian fleet, the São Paulo is small compared to the large ships of this type. The largest aircraft carrier in operation today is the Ford class, from the United States, with 337 meters in length and capacity for 90 aircraft.
In June, China launched the hull of its first 100% national aircraft carrier, with a length of 320 meters and a capacity for 60 aircraft. The vessel works will still be completed on a dike.
