Petrobras plans to renew the support fleet for oil platforms and should generate 35 jobs in the Brazilian shipbuilding industry

Petrobras' recent orders were for vessels available on the market, but with the renewal of the fleet, new vessels will have to be built.

The state-owned Petrobras is preparing an ambitious plan to renew its fleet of support vessels for oil platforms. The main objective is to replace units that are reaching the end of their useful life in the coming years. The director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation at the state-owned company, Carlos Travassos, revealed that up to 36 vessels will be chartered, boosting business in the marine industry of Brazil.

Experts comment on the resumption of the Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry

Petrobras will order up to 36 vessels to replace old units in operation

Support vessels are essential for transporting inputs to platforms and for carrying out specialized services, such as laying pipelines on the seabed.

Based on preliminary studies, Petrobras found that it would be necessary to replace, by the year 2029, a total of 28 vessels and another 8 soon after that period.

The renovation plan is seen as a significant opportunity for the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, as it is estimated that the contracts could generate around 35 direct and indirect jobs in national shipyards.

In addition, the state-owned company plans to adopt cleaner and more sustainable technologies, seeking to reduce polluting gas emissions during operations.

Under Brazilian law, tenders do not specify the location for building vessels, but there is a clear preference for vessels flying the national flag.

This means that Brazilian vessels have priority over foreign ones in obtaining contracts from Petrobras.

Currently, most of the company's maritime support fleet is of national origin. According to Abeam (Brazilian Association of Maritime Support Companies), in May, of the 408 vessels operating in the country, 363 flew the Brazilian flag.

The maritime support sector has faced significant challenges in recent years.

Especially during the crisis in the oil sector that was triggered by the drop in international prices and the investigations of Operation Lava Jato, which also addressed contractual issues in the shipbuilding industry.

Between 2017 and 2018, Abeam estimates that around 80 vessels flying the Brazilian flag were out of contract.

Incentive for local construction is part of Petrobras' plan to resume investment in the shipbuilding industry

Petrobras also plans to invest in larger vessels, through its subsidiary Transpetro, but studies are still underway for this initiative.

In addition, the state-owned company intends to contract national shipyards for the construction of modules for oil platforms and for the dismantling of platforms that have reached the end of their useful life.

The company recently signed a contract with Gerdau to dismantle the P-32 platform, and another 26 units will be dismantled by 2027, followed by another 27 by 2030.

The resumption of investments in the Brazilian naval industry is a campaign promise of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

In the past, the government implemented a series of incentives for local construction, which resulted in the opening of new and large shipyards in the country.

Including the Fleet Renewal Program for Maritime Support Vessels (Prorefam), which ordered more than 120 vessels.

Unfortunately, the ordering process was interrupted due to the start of Operation Lava Jato, which revealed corrupt practices and overbilling in shipbuilding works, resulting in the arrest of executives and politicians.

However, the demand for maritime support services seems to be on the rise again, which represents an important opportunity for the development and growth of the shipbuilding sector in Brazil.