Brazil: Third Product Tanker Under the Promef Program Joins Transpetro Fleet

Transpetro recently received the product tanker Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, the third vessel from the Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program (Promef). At 183 meters long and with capacity to transport 56 million liters of fuel, this is the 200th ship to be built by the Mauá Shipyard Niterói (RJ), the birthplace of the Brazilian naval industry.

The start of operations of the Sérgio Buarque de Holanda is proof of the vitality of the Promef, which has entered into an accelerated rate of production, reversing a crisis lasting decades in the Brazilian naval industry. In a period of eight months, three ships were delivered to Transpetro by Brazilian shipyards. A fourth vessel, the Rômulo Almeida product tanker will begin operations this year.

In November 2011, Transpetro received the Celso Furtado product tanker from the Mauá Shipyard, the first vessel delivered to the Petrobras System since 1997. In May, the João Cândido began operations, the first petrol tanker built in the Northeast Region. The João Cândido is currently the largest and most modern Brazilian ship in operation.

“After 14 years without building any petrol tanker, the Brazilian naval industry has attained a new rhythm. In a one year period, we will have four ships delivered. We will now focus on seeking greater productivity, so that the sector can achieve international competitiveness,” stated Transpetro CEO Sergio Machado.

With an investment of R$ 10.8 billion in the order for 49 vessels, the Promef has guaranteed the foundations for the resurgence of the Brazilian naval industry, enabling the opening of new shipyards and the modernization of existing ones. Brazil already has the fourth largest portfolio of orders for ships in the world. The sector, which had less than two thousand workers at the turn of the century, now employs almost 60 thousand people.

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, July 15, 2012