On Monday (2/24) we signed the contract for the acquisition of four Handy class ships with the consortium composed of the Rio Grande and Mac Laren shipyards, in the amount of US$ 69.5 million per vessel. The ships will be used to transport derivatives on the Brazilian coast.
The event was held at the Rio Grande Shipyard, in Rio Grande do Sul, and was attended by the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, and other authorities.
This is the first contract signed by Transpetro within the scope of the Fleet Renewal and Expansion Program of the Petrobras System. The company launched a tender last week for the purchase of eight gas tankers in the same program.
“For us it is essential to expand our own vessel fleet and reduce costs with charters, since our production and refining capacity will increase in the coming years. Within the scope of the fleet renewal and expansion program we are contracting 44 ships, which will be key for supporting our operations. All are contracted or in the tender process. It is an investment of R$ 23 billion, a strong incentive for development of the domestic naval industry”, explained Magda Chambriard, President of Petrobras.
Transpetro President Sérgio Bacci emphasized that this is only the first contract planned by the company. “The acquisition of the Handy Class ships is only the beginning of the renewal and expansion of our fleet. Last week in Angra dos Reis we launched the tender for 8 more gas tankers. And in the future we plan to launch tenders to contract at least 13 more vessels by 2026, expanding the logistics capacity of Transpetro in up to 25%”, he stated.
The contract
The consortium composed of the Rio Grande and Mac Laren shipyards submitted a final price of US$ 69.5 per vessel and won the tender launched in July 2024, after complying with all the bid invitation phases. The new ships will expand the capacity of Transpetro to meet the needs of Petrobras, allowing for a reduction of charters of this type of unit, which have low liquidity in the market.
The Handy Class ships will include solutions that ensure greater energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions. In addition the ships may be powered by bunker fuel or biofuels. As a result a 30% decrease in emissions is estimate relative to the current fleet ships, meeting the determination of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The ships will be apt to transport clean petroleum derivatives, such as Marine Diesel, Diesel S10, Diesel S500 and aviation fuel. (GAV).
Gas tankers
On 17 February at the Baía de Ilha Grande Terminal (Tebig) in Angra dos Reis (RJ), operated by Transpetro, we launched the second international public tender of the company within the Fleet Renewal and Expansion Program of the Petrobras System. The bid calls for the acquisition of eight gas tankers with capacity for 7 thousand, 10 thousand and 14 thousand cubic meters in two lots.
With this purchase, Transpetro will triple its capacity for transporting LPG and derivatives and will start to transport ammonia. The expansion of the gas tanker fleet from six to 14 vessels considers the increase in natural gas production in Brazil and seeks to meet the demands of Petrobras on the Brazilian coast and river transportation, as already occurs in the North region of the country and at Lagoa dos Patos in Rio Grande do Sul.
Interested companies have a 90 day deadline to submit their proposals. According to the schedule, the first vessel will be launched within 30 months from the signing of the contract.