Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras has spent about 180 million reais ($33.7 million) keeping a drillship on standby in the Foz do Amazonas basin while it waits for environmental clearance to begin drilling.
The NS-42 vessel arrived in August at its assigned site off the coast of Amapá, in northern Brazil. It costs around 4 million reais ($748,000) per day to remain idle, according to a Petrobras source and Brazil’s oil workers’ federation FUP.
Petrobras used the drillship that month for a large-scale emergency simulation to support its licensing request with environmental agency Ibama. The regulator has not yet authorized the project, located in one of the country’s most sensitive ecosystems, and also considered its most promising new oil frontier.
In September, Ibama said it had approved the results of the simulation but required Petrobras to make several technical adjustments before a final decision. The company source noted that the 180 million reais only covers rental fees and excludes personnel or logistical costs.
The August exercise mobilized Petrobras’ largest-ever emergency response operation, involving more than 400 workers, ships, and aircraft. It aimed to show how the company would respond to a potential oil spill in the Amazonian coastal region.