With 157 Thousand Tons And Capable Of Transporting Up To 1 Million Barrels Of Oil, João Cândido Is The Largest Oil Tanker Ever Built In Brazil

Written by Débora Araújo

Published on 12/05/2025 at 13:49

Imagem gerada por inteligência artificial

Be the first to react!

With 274 Meters in Length and Capacity to Transport Up to 1 Million Barrels of Oil, the João Cândido Is the Largest Oil Tanker Ever Built in Brazil, Produced by the Atlântica Sul Shipyard in Pernambuco.

The João Cândido is the largest oil tanker ever built in Brazil. With 274 meters in length, 48 meters in width, and a weight of 157 thousand tons deadweight, the ship can transport up to 1 million barrels of oil in a single trip. The vessel was produced by the Atlântica Sul Shipyard (EAS), located in the Suape Industrial Port Complex in Ipojuca (PE).

The ship was ordered by Transpetro, a subsidiary of Petrobras, as part of the Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program (Promef), created with the objective of renewing the Brazilian fleet and stimulating the shipbuilding industry in the country. Construction began in 2007, and it was launched in May 2010. However, the official delivery only occurred two years later, in May 2012, after necessary technical adjustments.

Construction and Technical Characteristics of the Largest Oil Tanker in Brazil

Designed to operate as a Suezmax oil tanker, the João Cândido has dimensions compatible with the maximum size allowed in the Suez Canal in Egypt. This category of ship is intended for transporting large volumes of oil over long maritime distances, making it suitable for international routes as well as for shuttle navigation in offshore fields.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Role in Oil Logistics in Brazil

The João Cândido operates as a relief vessel, transporting crude oil from exploration platforms to terminals located along the Brazilian coast. This type of operation is necessary to offload production from pre-salt areas and other maritime fields. The volume that the vessel can transport is roughly equivalent to about half of the daily national crude oil production recorded in the year of its delivery.

With this capacity, the ship facilitates the flow of offshore production, helping to reduce the number of trips and expedite the transport of cargo to refining or export points. Since it began operations, it has made dozens of cabotage trips and also international routes.

Largest Livestock Carrier in the World Departs from the Port of Rio Grande with 20,000 Cattle Bound for Turkey

Construction Location

The Atlântica Sul Shipyard was responsible for building the ship and other tankers of the same size, such as the Zumbi dos Palmares, André Rebouças, and Dragão do Mar. The construction of the João Cândido required the mobilization of thousands of workers, the use of cutting-edge technology in ship welding, and large-scale industrial planning.

Located in Suape, the shipyard started its operations in the 2000s and was once the largest in Latin America in installed capacity. The construction of the João Cândido was considered a milestone for the revival of the Brazilian shipbuilding industry.

Promef Program

The João Cândido was the first ship built by the EAS under the Promef. The program anticipated the construction of 49 vessels, focusing on the transportation of oil, derivatives, and gas. The objective was to reduce reliance on foreign vessels and strengthen the national shipbuilding industry.

The Promef divided orders among different Brazilian shipyards, encouraging the development of specialized labor and local suppliers. The construction of the João Cândido was viewed as one of the most complex within the initial schedule of the program.

Current Situation

Currently, the ship continues to operate under the Brazilian flag, registered in the Transpetro fleet. It carries out oil transport routes along the national coast as well as in international operations, depending on export demand and cargo transfers between terminals.

The João Cândido is expected to operate for at least 25 years, with scheduled maintenance and technological upgrades during its operational life. The vessel remains active in the logistics of the oil and gas sector, integrating the transport fleet of Petrobras and contributing to the movement of large volumes of crude oil extracted in Brazil.

With 157 Thousand Tons And Capable Of Transporting Up To 1 Million Barrels Of Oil, João Cândido Is The Largest Oil Tanker Ever Built In Brazil

With 274 Meters in Length and Capacity to Transport Up to 1 Million Barrels of Oil, the João Cândido Is the Largest Oil Tanker Ever Built in Brazil, Produced by the Atlântica Sul Shipyard in Pernambuco.

Construction and Technical Characteristics of the Largest Oil Tanker in Brazil

Role in Oil Logistics in Brazil

Construction Location

Promef Program

Current Situation

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

In Niger, mud buildings have stood for ten generations while the world spends billions on concrete and steel, now African architects are proving at the Venice Biennale and in real projects that red earth can be the smartest and most sustainable building material of the 21st century.

After China returned about 20 ships with Brazilian soybeans, it’s now the European Union’s turn to surprise: the European bloc decides to ban meat, poultry, eggs, and honey from Brazil and threatens billions in exports from Brazilian agribusiness.

Patients are growing tired of “identical” faces, making the quest for naturalness the new priority for aesthetic procedures in Brazil.

Instead of waiting months for construction, Ecocapsule transforms a metal capsule into an off-grid micro-home with solar power, a bathroom with a shower, a compact kitchen, and its own system for living off the grid.

A father and daughter from the São Paulo coast create equipment that transforms seawater into drinking water, leverage reverse osmosis, and expand a family business that already serves boats in different regions of Brazil with national production and faster delivery.

Countdown: NASA’s race to keep the Voyager Probes “alive” for another year

With 157 Thousand Tons And Capable Of Transporting Up To 1 Million Barrels Of Oil, João Cândido Is The Largest Oil Tanker Ever Built In Brazil

With 274 Meters in Length and Capacity to Transport Up to 1 Million Barrels of Oil, the João Cândido Is the Largest Oil Tanker Ever Built in Brazil, Produced by the Atlântica Sul Shipyard in Pernambuco.

Construction and Technical Characteristics of the Largest Oil Tanker in Brazil

Role in Oil Logistics in Brazil

Construction Location

Promef Program

Current Situation

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

In Niger, mud buildings have stood for ten generations while the world spends billions on concrete and steel, now African architects are proving at the Venice Biennale and in real projects that red earth can be the smartest and most sustainable building material of the 21st century.

MO26 starts producing 180,000 barrels/day in the Brazilian pre-salt and Mero becomes Petrobras’ third largest oil field with 770,000 bbl/day.

Russia is building the world’s most powerful nuclear icebreaker with 150 MW and 2 reactors while the US has not delivered a new heavy one since 1999.

Styrofoam block cut with hot wire turned into a real boat with three layers of fiberglass and polyester resin, floats without rotting or rusting, carries up to five people, and uses a professional shipyard sandwich technique for less than R$ 500 per square meter.

Portonave is investing R$ 2 billion to modernize the Port of Navegantes and accommodate ships up to 400 meters, but the project depends on the federal government deepening the channel from 14 to 17 meters, a concession that is at the TCU.

After China returned about 20 ships with Brazilian soybeans, it’s now the European Union’s turn to surprise: the European bloc decides to ban meat, poultry, eggs, and honey from Brazil and threatens billions in exports from Brazilian agribusiness.

Patients are growing tired of “identical” faces, making the quest for naturalness the new priority for aesthetic procedures in Brazil.

Instead of waiting months for construction, Ecocapsule transforms a metal capsule into an off-grid micro-home with solar power, a bathroom with a shower, a compact kitchen, and its own system for living off the grid.

A father and daughter from the São Paulo coast create equipment that transforms seawater into drinking water, leverage reverse osmosis, and expand a family business that already serves boats in different regions of Brazil with national production and faster delivery.

Countdown: NASA’s race to keep the Voyager Probes “alive” for another year