Block on Maceió project raises questions over safety of sulfuric acid handling

The decision by Timac Agro to withdraw from building a sulfuric acid terminal at the Port of Maceió has reignited debate over the safety and regulation of chemical transport in Brazil. The move halts a project that had won a public auction and was already in the licensing phase, placing both environmental and structural safeguards under scrutiny.

Brazil handles millions of tonnes of sulfuric acid each year. The substance is critical to the fertilizer industry but is also among the most dangerous chemicals in the world, posing risks to the environment and human health and carrying lethal potential. This is why the project to install a sulfuric acid storage terminal at the Port of Maceió raised red flags among environmental regulators and triggered protests from residents.

In a statement to EXTRA, Timac Agro said the MAC10 terminal at the Port of Maceió was awarded in a public auction held by ANTAQ in 2020 for the handling and storage of liquid bulk cargo, especially sulfuric acid. According to the company, the project was canceled after the city of Maceió revoked its municipal permit and the environmental authority denied the license. Even so, Timac stated that the environmental licensing process followed all legal procedures, supported by technical studies and risk assessments conducted by independent consultancies.

Sulfuric acid is handled in only five ports and terminals

Used in the production of fertilizers, detergents, car batteries, and even in oil refining, sulfuric acid is transported by ship, rail, and truck across Brazil. In the case of the Maceió terminal, the material would have supplied the fertilizer production chain, specifically a factory located in Santa Luzia do Norte, in the interior of Alagoas.

The chemical, which is highly corrosive and toxic, requires strict storage and containment systems, which, according to specialists, are still inadequate in parts of Brazil’s port infrastructure. Since 2015, sulfuric acid handling in Brazil has been concentrated exclusively at five ports and terminals: the Port of Aratu, the Port of Paranaguá, the Port of Rio Grande, Terminal Yara Brasil Fertilizantes, and Terminal Marítimo Inácio Barbosa (TMIB).

Two terminals have already registered accidents

In 1998, the vessel M/T Bahamas, owned by Swiss operator Chemoil, docked at a Petrobras pier in the Port of Rio Grande, carrying 12,000 tonnes of sulfuric acid for fertilizer manufacturing. Due to a pressure failure in the pumps, the acid leaked into the hull. Because of the risk of explosion upon contact with seawater, part of the cargo was pumped into the port channel. The remainder was later discharged into the channel leading to Lagoa dos Patos and out at sea.

It was only in 2017 that Petrobras, Genesis Navigation, Chemoil International, Bunge Fertilizantes, and Yara Brasil Fertilizantes were ordered to pay R$20 million in compensation. According to the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF4), the spill threatened the health of local communities and harmed the ecosystem, damaging fishing activity.

In 2012, workers at the Port of Aratu had to abandon their posts because of a sulfuric acid leak. At the time, there were reports of nausea, coughing, and eye irritation. Vopak, the maritime operator responsible for the terminal, said the leak was quickly contained. According to the Port Stevedores Union of Salvador, another worker was assisted about two weeks earlier due to a similar incident.

The most recent case occurred in April 2024, also at the Port of Aratu, when another sulfuric acid leak alarmed employees. According to Codeba, the Bahia Dock Company, which manages the port, said the incident was limited to a specific area of the terminal, and no injuries were reported.

Source: Jornal Extra

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