Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry on the Rise

In 2014, Transpetro is expected to set a record in the receipt of new vessels. The planning under the Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program (Promef) foresees the receipt of six vessels and of three waterway convoys built by Brazilian shipyards.

Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry on the Rise

The record was set in 2013, with four deliveries: Product vessel Rômulo Almeida (January) and Suezmax ship Zumbi dos Palmares (May), both now in operation, and the José Alencar (products) and Dragão do Mar (Suezmax) vessels, the latter two expected to make their maiden voyages in the coming days.

By 2020, the fleet will grow from 60 to 110 vessels.

The ships foreseen for 2014 are two Panamax (Anita Garibaldi and Irmã Dulce), two Suezmax (Henrique Dias and another one yet unnamed) and two gas tankers, one of which the Oscar Niemeyer, which is currently in its finishing phase.

José Alencar

Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry on the Rise Sixth under the Promef to come into operation, the José Alencar product vessel completes the first lot of this type of ship. The Celso Furtado (November/2011), the Sérgio Buarque de Holanda (July/2012), and the Rômulo Almeida (January/2013) have already been delivered.

The José Alencar – which has 12 cargo tanks, a speed of 14.5 knots, and range of 12,000 nautical miles – will be responsible for the transport of clear petroleum derivatives. With a length of 183 meters (the equivalent of almost 2 official soccer fields), width of 32.2 meters, and height of 43.8 meters (taller than the statue of Christ the Redeemer), the ship has the capacity to transport 56 million liters of fuels (a quantity sufficient to fill approximately 13 Olympic swimming pools).

Its construction utilized 9147 tons of structural steel, 250 tons of hull fittings, 25,000 liters of paints and solvents, 4500 lengths of pipe weighing 380 tons, 95,000 meters of electrical cables, and 274 tons of electrodes and consumables.

Promef

Promef has propelled the reconstruction of the Brazilian shipbuilding industry after a decades-long crisis, with an investment of R$ 11.2 billion in the order of 49 ships and 20 waterway convoys.

Brazil currently has the fourth largest backlog of orders for ships, and the third for oil tankers. The shipbuilding industry, which dwindled to less than 2000 workers at the turn of the century, now employs more than 77,000 people, according to data from Sinaval.

Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry on the Rise With the seven ships delivered, the domestic content index will be higher than 65%, the quantitative figure stipulated for the first phase of the program, ensuring generation of jobs and income in the country. At the Mauá shipyard alone, where the José Alencar was built, 3400 jobs were created, of which 1200 were directly involved in the construction of the vessel.

Promef has three pillars:

  • build ships in Brazil;
  • reach a minimum domestic content index of 65% for the first phase, and 70% for the second phase;
  • attain international competitiveness, after the learning curve.

The first two pillars are already in place. And with them, Promef has helped to rescue the Brazilian shipbuilding industry from its decades-long abandonment.

The third pillar, the pursuit of international competitiveness, is the current focus. To attaint his objective, Transpetro has created the Production Monitoring System (SAP), which has the function of evaluating the production processes of the shipyards and suggesting alternatives to improve productivity.

The main players of the international shipbuilding industry, such as Japan, South Korea, and China, have had 63, 53, and 23 years, respectively, to reach maturity in the sector.

In only 13 years, Brazil has already obtained results comparable to those of the Chinese market.

 

[mappress]
petrobras, February 12, 2014