Technical answers on Brazilian offshore compliance.
We gathered the questions we hear most from operators, shipowners, and shipyards. Short, direct answers, in the language of people in the field.
Who we are and how we work.
What is GRICCO?
GRICCO is a legal compliance project management, occupational health and safety, and operational excellence company for the Brazilian offshore. Founded in January 2024 by Eduardo Queiroz, headquartered in Macaé, RJ. We do not hand over a list of outstanding items: we are inside the operation, from diagnosis to delivery of results.
What is GRICCO's method?
Every project follows seven steps: Active listening, Diagnosis, Planning, Execution, Monitoring, Delivery of results, and Acceptance follow-up. We are inside the operation at each one, with a fixed scope and clear accountability. We call it Intelligent Simplicity.
Who provides offshore SESMT?
We build and manage the on-board SESMT team — safety technicians, nurses, and occupational physicians as the operation requires. We are not a crewing provider: SESMT comes as part of integrated health and safety management, backed by an in-house technical and legal team and local partners.
Clearance and adequacy in Brazilian waters.
How do you clear or adapt a foreign vessel to operate in AJB?
Every vessel arriving in Brazil resets the regulatory bar. We lead the full adequacy process as a single project: gap analysis, documentation, compliance with the Navy/DPC (NORMAM) and the ANP, helideck, cargo-handling equipment, clean hull (Coral-Sol), and the ISM, ISPS, and MLC codes — through to clearance to operate in Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters.
How long does it take to clear a vessel?
It depends on the compliance state on arrival and on the regulators' timelines. In the M/V CSS Temis case — a vessel with no record in Brazil, facing a critical deadline — we led the regulatory gap analysis, crew training, occupational health, the helideck, and clean-hull documentation, and the vessel was cleared in record time, with a significant cost reduction.
What is biofouling and what is Coral-Sol?
Biofouling is the accumulation of marine organisms on the hull and submerged structures. Coral-Sol (Tubastraea spp.) is an invasive alien species whose spread via hulls is controlled by Brazilian legislation. Compliance requires biofouling management and clean-hull documentation under NORMAM 401, avoiding penalties and operational delays.
Who regulates the offshore and what they require.
Which regulators act in the Brazilian offshore?
The main ones are the Brazilian Navy, through the DPC and the NORMAM; the ANP, in oil and gas; the MTE, responsible for the Regulatory Standards (NRs); and IBAMA, on the environmental side. ANVISA acts only where applicable. We know the dynamics of each one and lead the technical dialogue.
What is NR-37?
NR-37 is the Regulatory Standard for occupational safety and health on oil platforms. It covers working conditions, accommodation, safety management, and medical care on offshore units. It is one of the central standards for any platform operation in Brazil.
What is the difference between NR-30 and NR-37?
NR-30 covers occupational safety and health in waterway work — vessels and platforms underway. NR-37 covers oil platforms specifically. In many offshore operations both apply in combination, and we make sure each is met without gaps.
What does the Navy/NORMAM require for the helideck?
The helideck must meet NORMAM 223 and ANAC requirements: dimensions, markings, firefighting system, lighting, drainage, and supporting air-operation procedures. We lead helideck compliance and the technical documentation as part of the vessel's adequacy.
Training, safety, and Human Factors.
What is on-board training?
It is training delivered aboard, in the operation itself, rather than taking the crew ashore for courses. It cuts cost and downtime and brings training closer to the reality of the work. We cover the applicable NRs, competency certification, and leadership and safety-culture development.
What are Safety-II and Human Factors?
Safety-II is an approach that studies why work succeeds most of the time, not only why it fails. Instead of attributing incidents to "human error," we look at Human Factors and at Human and Organizational Performance (HOP): the system, the conditions, and the decisions. This produces safety that is more solid and sustainable.
How to contract and how we are structured.
How do you contract GRICCO through GRICCO International (Wyoming)?
GRICCO International (Wyoming, USA) is our international arm. Foreign operators can contract through GRICCO International when it reduces cross-border tax complexity, while technical execution stays in Brazil with GRICCO. The structure is defined with the client, according to the scenario.
Does GRICCO work with a fixed scope?
Yes. Whenever possible we work on a fixed scope (lump-sum), with clear risk allocation. This gives OpEx predictability: you know the contracted outcome, and accountability for execution is ours — not fragmented across several suppliers.
Talk to our technical team.
In a short diagnostic, we identify your main compliance gaps and the next steps. No commitment.