THE FSRU VESSELS AND ANTAQ: THE REGULATION OS FOREING VESSELS ANCHORED IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The present work aims to identify the regulatory treatment granted to FSRU (floating storage regasification unit) vessels by the National Waterways Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) as a specialized administrative instance. This study is justified by the innovation brought by the vessel, which, although self-propelled and able to operate in the transport of LNG, has been used in the national territory as a stationary unit in projects in the oil and gas sector. The research is characterized as qualitative study, carried out from the collection of primary data (CRESWELL, 2007) of public access. The analyzed decisions were defined from the search for the keywords “FSRU” and “regasification” between the years 2016 and 2021 in the public database of the institution. From the content of the decision-making acts, it was concluded that the decisions adopted by ANTAQ Board of Directors did not deal with the chartering vessels process for the purpose of maritime transport and supply; they deliberate on registration requests of FSRU vessel as port facilities or of an interpretive nature about the rules on the use of such vessels in operational port areas.