After an inspection in which it verified “severe degradation of buoyancy conditions”, the Navy ordered the aircraft carrier São Paulo to move away from the coast, which is prevented from docking in Brazilian ports. The force also decided to take over the operation of the vessel.
The aircraft carrier was sold in 2021 to a Turkish shipyard, but ended up being banned from entering Turkey after allegations that it carries large amounts of asbestos, a toxic product that causes diseases such as cancer and asbestosis, an occupational disease that attacks the lungs.
It was transported back to Brazil, but was prevented from docking in Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco and was anchored about 46 kilometers off the coast of Pernambuco, under protests from the shipping agent MSK, which intermediated the purchase.
This Friday (20th), the Navy informed that it carried out an inspection on the ship and concluded that the buyer of the vessel, the Turkish Sök Denizcilik and Ticaret, had not adopted the required measures to preserve the safety of the hull.
Alleging environmental and waterway traffic risks in the region, he ordered the departure of the São Paulo to deeper waters and mobilized two vessels to accompany the ship: the frigate União and the maritime support vessel Purus.
It also defined that “given the conditions in which the hull is found, it will not authorize its approach to inland waters or port terminals, in view of the high risk it represents, with the possibility of running aground, sinking or interdiction of the access channel to the national port” .
Also on Friday, the Navy informed that the tug that had been transporting the aircraft carrier “had logistical restrictions” and the operation was taken over by the Purus. “It should be noted that Sök did not cease to be responsible for the good”, he stressed.
Specialized in dismantling ships, the Sök shipyard bought the aircraft carrier São Paulo for R$ 10.5 million in an auction held by the Navy.
It was the largest Brazilian warship, with 31,000 tons, 266 meters in length and capacity for up to 40 aircraft. Its armament consisted of three double missile launchers and large-caliber machine guns.
Its export was even prohibited by a court injunction issued on the same day it left the country at the request of former soldier Emerson Miura, who wanted to turn it into a floating museum, inspired by the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, docked in New York.
Upon being notified of the injunction, the Navy informed that the request could not be accepted because the vessel was already in international waters. Target of protests from environmental organizations, the trip is accompanied in real time by Greenpeace.
Inventory made before departure accounted for just under ten tons of asbestos on board, a result questioned by the NGO Shipbreaking Platform based on the dismantling of a sister ship of the São Paulo, called Clemenceau, which would have found 760 tons of the material.
The buyer is also accused of disrespecting articles of the Basel Convention on the export of toxic waste. The company denies that São Paulo carries this volume of asbestos and says it followed the rules. But he admits “it takes time to share information and updates about the project with the public”.
In previous communications, the Navy says that the São Paulo had already gone through a de-amiantization process in the 1990s, with the removal of about 55 tons of the material, and that it poses no health risks.
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