Petrobras signed contracts worth R$16.5 billion for the construction and charter of 12 support vessels, of the PSV type, which will be used in oil and gas exploration and production logistics operations, the company said in a note on this page. Thursday (12).
The investment announced by Petrobras is relevant and contributes “strongly” to the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, a strong generator of jobs, Petrobras executives said. The contributions are in line with plans by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who changed part of the state-owned company’s board of directors this year to strengthen this objective.
The contracts, signed with the companies Bram Offshore and Starnav Serviços Marítimos, include a period of up to four years for mobilization and 12 years of operation, in addition to the requirement of 40% local content during the construction phase.
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The news confirms news published earlier, based on sources with knowledge of the matter.
Of the total value of the contracts, R$5.2 billion will be allocated to investments in shipbuilding in Brazil.
The vessels will be built in the winning companies’ own shipyards, located in Santa Catarina, in the municipalities of Navegantes (Bram) and Itajaí (Starnav). Each company will be responsible for chartering six vessels to Petrobras.
“These are projects that meet the highest environmental, social and governance standards, essential for a sustainable future in addition to generating around 11 thousand direct and indirect jobs”, stated the president of the oil company, Magda Chambriard, in a statement.
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The contracts were signed during a meeting of the Council for Sustainable Economic and Social Development (CDESS), in Brasília.
Petrobras highlighted that the support vessels will have a hybrid propulsive system, which combines electric motors and batteries with generators powered by diesel/biodiesel, in line with Petrobras’ commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Petrobras’ executive manager of Strategic Programs, Wagner Victer, told Reuters that, in addition to the 12 PSVs, the company has already received proposals to build 10 OSRV type ships.
“In addition, there are plans for at least 10 more support vessels of both the RSV and AHTS types,” he highlighted.
