Commercial diving in Brazil is regulated by the Brazilian Navy and by the Ministry of Labour. The Navy's rule is NORMAM-222/DPC, the Maritime Authority Standards for Commercial Diving. Labour safety for submerged work is covered by NR-15, Annex 6. Before you hire, check that the company is registered with the Maritime Authority and holds the diving system certificates that the current NORMAM-222 requires. Then check its team, equipment, dive plan and insurance, and agree on what you will receive at the end. This guide is for shipowners, ship managers, terminal operators and foreign contractors who need diving work in Brazilian ports, terminals or hydropower plants.
This guide summarizes public rules as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Check the current text of NORMAM-222/DPC and NR-15 and confirm local requirements with the Capitania dos Portos (Harbour Master's Office) before planning.
The rule: NORMAM-222/DPC
The current NORMAM-222/DPC was approved by Portaria DPC/DGN/MB nº 183 of 8 July 2025. It revoked Portaria 161 of 15 January 2025. The standard descends from the older NORMAM-15/DPC, which was renumbered when Brazil restructured its Maritime Authority standards. The 2025 edition also changed the title from "underwater activities" to "commercial diving". If a contractor's documents still cite NORMAM-15, ask whether its procedures have been updated.
NORMAM-222 covers how diving companies are registered with the Maritime Authority, how diving systems are inspected and certified, crew qualifications, and the conduct of operations.
Points to confirm in the current text. We could not review the full text of the 2025 edition. Before you set contract requirements, check the following in NORMAM-222 or with the Capitania:
- the depth limits for each category of diving (shallow and deep);
- the exact name of the diving system certificate (earlier editions and the DPC company lists used "CSSM", the diving system safety certificate);
- the chapter and annex numbers you intend to cite in your contract.
CAFT and the diving operation plan
Before diving starts at a work site, the diving company sends a Comunicação de Abertura de Frente de Trabalho (CAFT), a work-front opening notice. It goes with the diving operation plan to the Directorate of Ports and Coasts (DPC) and to the local Capitania. According to Capitania guidance, the CAFT is a notification and not a permit. The Navy is informed of the operation, but it does not issue an authorization for each dive.
Capitania guidance published online refers to the CAFT form in annex 2-E of NORMAM-222. It gives a lead time of 10 days before the work, or 48 hours for inspections of ships in transit. Confirm the current lead times with the local Capitania, because they affect how quickly a diving team can be mobilized for a ship call.
Other permissions may also be needed. Port authorities and terminals often have their own rules for diving within their areas. Some work, such as in-water hull cleaning under NORMAM-401/DPC, needs a separate authorization from the Capitania.
Labour rules: NR-15 Annex 6
NR-15, Annex 6, "Work under hyperbaric conditions", is the Ministry of Labour standard covering work in compressed air and submerged work. The submerged-work section was added by Portaria SSMT nº 24/1983. It deals with diver health, medical fitness, team composition and safety procedures. It applies alongside the Navy rules, not instead of them. A foreign contractor bringing its own divers to Brazil should get local advice on how NR-15 and Brazilian labour and immigration rules apply to its personnel.
Buyer checklist
Ask for these items before awarding the work and keep copies in the contract file:
- Maritime Authority registration. The company's registration under NORMAM-222. The DPC publishes lists of registered diving companies by state, including the maximum operating depth and certificate validity. Check that the entry is current.
- Diving system certificate. A valid certificate for the system that will actually be used, covering the depth of your job.
- Team. Names and qualifications of the supervisor and divers, medical fitness certificates, and the team size proposed for the dive profile.
- Equipment. Air supply and backup, communications, a decompression chamber where the dive profile requires one, tools such as cleaning, cutting or welding equipment, and inspection or calibration records.
- Diving operation plan. Scope, dive profile, emergency and rescue procedures, nearest hyperbaric treatment facility, and how the work will be coordinated with ship or terminal operations.
- CAFT. Confirmation that it was sent to the DPC and Capitania within the required lead time.
- Risk assessment and permits to work. Lockout of propellers, thrusters, sea-water intakes, pumps and turbine gates near the work area.
- Insurance. Third-party liability and personnel cover suitable for the work, with the client named where the contract requires it.
- Deliverables. Agree on these in writing before mobilization (see below).
Warning signs include a vague claim of "Navy certification" with no registration or certificate number, citations of revoked standards only, and no written dive plan.
What you should receive
For inspection and repair work, typical deliverables are:
| Deliverable | Content |
|---|---|
| Inspection report | Scope, method, findings by area, measurements, photos and recommendations |
| Video | Continuous footage with time and date, identified by location such as draught marks, frames, piles or gate number |
| Measurements | Thickness readings, wear of moorings or chains, clearances, with instrument details |
| Work record | What was done, where it started and stopped, and anything left pending |
| Dive logs | Supervisor's record of each dive, if requested |
Diver or ROV
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are increasingly used for inspection, including at hydropower plants. Some Brazilian generators are now testing small ROVs to inspect intake screens, penstocks and turbines.
- An ROV fits well for visual inspection in deep, long or hazardous areas, repeat surveys, and situations where divers would face strong currents or suction.
- A diver is usually needed for hands-on work: cleaning trash racks, cutting and welding, setting stop logs, placing concrete, removing debris, fitting blanking plates to sea chests, and detailed measurements.
- A combined approach often works best: an ROV survey to locate the problem, followed by divers for the repair.
Safe Offshore provides commercial diving and underwater services for ships, ports and hydropower plants from Vitória. We can review your scope and suggest the right mix of divers and remote inspection.
Sources
- Portaria DPC/DGN/MB nº 183/2025, NORMAM-222/DPC (Brazilian Navy)
- DPC index of Maritime Authority standards (NORMAM)
- Capitania dos Portos do Paraná: Diving (CAFT guidance)
- DPC list of registered diving companies, Rio de Janeiro example (PDF)
- NR-15, Annex 6, Work under hyperbaric conditions (gov.br, PDF)
- Portaria SSMT nº 24/1983 on submerged work (gov.br, PDF)