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Petrobras’ billion-dollar portfolio in Santa Catarina brings together shipyards, new vessels, and thousands of jobs in a program that puts Itajaí and Navegantes on the route of the Brazilian naval industry.
Petrobras plans to invest R$ 12 billion in the construction of 42 vessels in Santa Catarina, as part of the Open Sea Program, aimed at renewing and expanding the Petrobras System fleet.
According to the state company, the orders are expected to generate over 5,000 direct jobs in the state and involve shipyards in Itajaí and Navegantes, in the northern coast of Santa Catarina.
The announcement was made on June 26, 2026, during a visit by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the Detroit Brasil Shipyard in Itajaí.
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The agenda also included the presence of Petrobras President Magda Chambriard, who accompanied the works of the Starnav Elektra, a maritime support vessel in an advanced stage of construction.
The orders are part of a national portfolio of the Open Sea Program, which foresees 96 vessels by 2032.
In the case of Santa Catarina, the contracts include support vessels for Petrobras’ offshore operations and pushers intended for the renewal of Transpetro’s fleet, the company’s logistics subsidiary.
Shipyards in Itajaí and Navegantes concentrate Petrobras’ works
Of the total planned for Santa Catarina, 16 maritime support vessels are already under construction at the Detroit Brasil shipyard in Itajaí and Navship in Navegantes.
According to Petrobras, more than 2,000 workers are directly involved in the projects currently underway in the two municipalities.
In Itajaí, the Detroit Shipyard concentrates ten units.
There are six vessels of the PSV type, an acronym in English for Platform Supply Vessel, used in the transport of cargo, food, fluids, equipment, and materials necessary for operations on platforms.
Also in production are four vessels of the OSRV type, aimed at responding to environmental emergencies, such as identification, containment, and collection of oil at sea.
Navegantes appears in the portfolio with six PSVs under construction at the Navship shipyard.
The city is also included in the plan through eight RSV vessels, used in support activities for subsea engineering and operations with remotely operated vehicles.
The list also includes 18 pushers intended for Transpetro’s fleet.
These vessels are used in the movement of barges and are part of the logistics renewal program of the Petrobras System, according to information released by the company and its subsidiary.
Starnav Elektra and the new maritime support fleet
One of the vessels in the most advanced stage is the Starnav Elektra, built at the Detroit Brasil Shipyard.
According to Petrobras, the delivery was scheduled for July 2026, after the presidential visit in June.
The ship is of the PSV type and was presented by the state company as part of the new maritime support fleet contracted in the country.
The project includes power generation and distribution systems with a battery bank, consumption control by telemetry, and the possibility of future conversion for partial operation with renewable fuel.
The vessel should also feature painting technologies and anti-fouling systems, solutions used to reduce hull resistance, fuel consumption, and emissions.
The technical characteristics were provided by Petrobras when presenting the vessel.
In the official text, the company relates these features to the strategy of renewing the fleet with more efficient equipment for exploration and production operations.
Open Sea Program plans investments until 2032
On a national scale, the Open Sea Program plans the construction of 96 vessels by 2032, with estimated investments of R$ 32 billion in the Brazilian naval industry.
The portfolio includes 40 support vessels for exploration and production, 20 cabotage ships, 18 barges, and 18 pushers aimed at renewing Transpetro’s fleet.
Petrobras reported that the program establishes a minimum requirement of 40% local content in the construction phase of the vessels.
The initiative is financed by the Merchant Marine Fund, a mechanism used to support projects related to the maritime fleet, shipyards, and port infrastructure.
The state company also states that the program seeks to increase the contracting of vessels built in Brazil.
According to the company, the fleet renewal is related to the need to meet exploration, production, transportation, and logistics operations of the Petrobras System in the coming years.
During the agenda at the shipyard, Magda Chambriard mentioned the goal of maintaining orders in the country.
According to Agência Brasil, the president of Petrobras recalled a promise made to President Lula in January 2025 about having 48 ships contracted or in bidding by December 2026.
“A promise is a debt, Mr. President. They are contracted,” she said.
Transpetro will have pushers and barges in the naval portfolio
In Santa Catarina, the set of orders involves different types of vessels and stages of production.
Some of the units are already under construction, while others are part of contracts or hiring forecasts informed by Petrobras under the Open Sea Program.
Itajaí and Navegantes concentrate the projects mentioned by the state company in the state.
In the first municipality, the Detroit Brasil Shipyard is linked to the construction of PSVs and OSRVs.
In the second, the Navship shipyard is involved in the construction of PSVs and is linked to contracts for vessels supporting subsea engineering.
Transpetro also integrates the portfolio with barge and pusher projects.
In January 2026, Petrobras and Transpetro announced contracts for the Open Sea Program in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, with investments for five gas carriers, 18 barges, and 18 pushers.
Part of the pushers was associated with production in Santa Catarina.
According to Transpetro, the pushers and barges are part of the fleet renewal used in fuel transportation and logistics.
The subsidiary reported that the contracts aim to increase operational capacity and replace vessels within the system modernization program.
Petrobras states that the portfolio planned for Santa Catarina should maintain activity in the shipyards in the coming years.
As the projects have different deadlines and stages, the impact on jobs, suppliers, and industrial production will depend on the execution of the contracts and the progress of the construction stages.
In addition to the direct positions reported by the state company, the program may involve equipment suppliers, technical services, engineering, welding, maintenance, and assembly companies.
This relationship, however, was not detailed by Petrobras in specific numbers for indirect jobs in the announcement about Santa Catarina.
With the forecast of R$ 12 billion in investments and 42 vessels in the state, the Open Sea Program places Itajaí and Navegantes at the center of Petrobras’ shipbuilding portfolio in Santa Catarina.
The monitoring of the contracts should indicate, in the coming months and years, how the orders will progress in the shipyards and which stages will be delivered within the informed schedule.
