RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil's Transpetro, a unit of state-run oil company Petrobras, said on Monday that local shipbuilding firms Ecovix and Mac Laren had won a bid to build four new coastal vessels for $ 69.5 million per vessel.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
The bid is the first step in Petrobras' plan to modernize its fleet of support vessels, and is a win for the Brazilian government as it seeks to revive the country's shipbuilding sector.
PRINCIPAL COMMUNICATION
“It is a milestone for our management to restart shipbuilding in Brazil after 10 years without contracting vessels to expand the fleet,” Transpetro CEO Sergio Bacci said in a statement.
CONTEXT
The four 'hand' class vessels will have a capacity of between 15,000 and 18,000 deadweight tonnage. They are part of the company's plan to commission 25 new ships, with 16 already listed in Petrobras' strategic plan for the period 2025-2029.
THE ISLAND
Transpetro said it is to launch a second tender in January for eight pressurized and semi-refrigerated gas tankers.
(Reporting by Fabio Teixeira; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
