Brazil’s government-controlled oil company Petrobras and Transpetro have inked contracts valued at R$2.8bn to build five gas carriers, 18 barges, and 18 pushboats at an event with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Rio Grande.
The contracts are part of the Mar Aberto Program, an initiative aimed at renewing and expanding the fleet of the Petrobras System.
All vessels will be operated by Transpetro and built in shipyards in three states. In Rio Grande do Sul, the Rio Grande Shipyard will be responsible for building the gas carriers.
In Amazonas, the Bertolini Construção Naval da Amazônia shipyard will build the 18 barges.
In Santa Catarina, the Indústria Naval Catarinense shipyard will build the 18 pushboats.
The five gas carriers alone represent an investment of R$2.2bn. The three with a capacity of 7,000 m³ and two with 14,000 m³ are intended for the transportation of LPG and derivatives. The launch of the first unit is scheduled for up to 33 months after the start of construction, with new deliveries every six months. The contract for the gas carriers was awarded through an international bidding process.
Transpetro also signed contracts for the acquisition of 18 barges and 18 pushboats. The order, representing an investment of R$620.6m, marks Transpetro’s entry into inland navigation (sheltered or partially sheltered waters, such as rivers, lakes, channels, bays, and lagoons). Two national shipyards were selected as winners of the bidding process.
The new business model will enable the vertical integration of bunkering operations, allowing Transpetro to have its own fleet for fueling at strategic hubs such as Belém (PA), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Santos (SP), Paranaguá (PR), and Rio Grande (RS).
The Bertolini Construção Naval da Amazônia shipyard, based in Manaus (AM), will be responsible for building the 18 barges, with delivery of the first unit scheduled for three months after the start of construction. Of the total contracted, ten will have a capacity of 3,000-dwt and eight will have 2,000-dwt.
The Indústria Naval Catarinense shipyard, located in Navegantes (SC), will build the 18 pushboats, with initial delivery scheduled for 10 months after the start of manufacturing.
