A consortium formed by the companies will participate in the bidding process for the shipbuilding project for the NApAnt, which will replace the Oceanographic Support Vessel Ary Rongel of the Brazilian Navy

After the Brazilian company Ecovix merged with the Chilean state-owned company Asmar, now it's Wilson Sons' turn to announce a partnership to compete in the tender for the construction of the new Antarctic Support Ship (NApAnt) of the Brazilian Navy. The company will join Damen, a Dutch defense, shipbuilding and engineering conglomerate company based in Gorinchem, Netherlands.

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Last year, the Brazilian Navy launched a market survey on the possibility of building the ship NApAnt, which will replace the Oceanographic Support Ship Ary Rongel. The delivery of proposals should take place by the end of this year and the final announcement of the winner in mid-2021.

If the Wilson Sons and Damem consortium wins the bid, the ship will be built at the Wilson Sons shipyards in Guarujá, in the state of São Paulo. A minimum percentage of 45% is required of local content and investments are estimated at around R$750 million.

According to the executive director of the Wilson Sons shipyards, Adalberto Souza, the company has partnered with Damen in 92 projects in the last decades and is optimistic about these demands due to the market experience, technical quality and on-time delivery history of both companies.

The Brazilian Navy is also evaluating the possibility of building two Hydroceanographic Support Vessels, Patrol Vessels and Search and Rescue Vessels in the medium term, in addition to the NApAnt tender. These demands are also in the sights of the consortium formed by Wilson Sons and Women.

The NApAnt ship will have enough capacity to provide logistical support to the Antarctic continent, meeting the specific shipbuilding requirements requested, transporting a significant volume of cargo and equipment, in addition to housing modern scientific laboratories, with comfort and safety for its crew.

The project of the ship NApAnt of the Brazilian Navy

The new Brazilian station in Antarctica, Comandante Ferraz, was reopened on January 15 of this year supported by Petrobras through the Brazilian Antarctic Program (Proantar) and operated by the Brazilian Navy, the installation is intended for scientific research in the environmental, meteorological, biodiversity and chemical areas, today it is a reality.

The project for the construction of NApAnt aims at providing integrated logistical and maintenance support to logistically support Proantar, contributing to the safety of navigation in the Antarctic region through hydrographic surveys.

The Navy points out that the new ship seeks modernity in logistical terms with increased capacity and reduced crew, which favors the embarkation of researchers. The NApAnt vessel will be able to transport helicopters in a protected environment and will have adequate autonomy for its purpose.

*Information via Naval Power