Petrobras launches tender to acquire eight gas carrier ships and expand Transpetro's fleet.

247 -Petrobras, through its subsidiary Transpetro, announced this Monday (17) the opening of an international tender for the acquisition of eight gas carrier ships with capacities of 7, 10 and 14 cubic meters. The measure is part of the Transpetro fleet renewal and expansion program, which began in July of last year. The information is from the newspaper The Globe.

The event will be held at the Ilha Grande Bay Terminal (Tebig), in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, and will be attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira, as well as Magda Chambriard, president of Petrobras, and Sérgio Bacci, president of Transpetro.

The tender aims to triple Transpetro's capacity for transporting LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), derivatives, and, for the first time, ammonia (used in the production of fertilizers and plastics). According to Petrobras, the expansion of the gas carrier fleet, which will increase from six to 14 ships, aims to meet the growing production of natural gas in Brazil and Petrobras' demand on the Brazilian coast and river routes, as already occurs in the Northern Region and in Lagoa dos Patos, in Rio Grande do Sul.

Magda Chambriard highlighted that the hiring of the gas carriers is aligned with Petrobras' efforts to renew and expand Transpetro's fleet, as well as to reinforce natural gas production. "In addition, it will provide less exposure to chartering," added the president of Petrobras.

In January of this year, the company had already contracted four Handy-class vessels (small bulk carriers). At the end of last year, 12 new offshore support vessels (PSV type) were acquired, which will be built in shipyards in Santa Catarina.

Petrobras also plans to contract 20 more vessels, including 10 for emergency support and response (OSRVs), eight for inspection and intervention in subsea systems (RSVs), and two for platform anchoring (AHTS). In addition, Transpetro has begun studies for a new tender, scheduled for the second quarter of this year, for the contracting of four medium-sized vessels (MR1), with a capacity of 35 tons.

The bidding process for the gas carriers will be divided into two lots, which cannot be won by the same shipyard or consortium. The competition is open to all shipyards that meet the technical and economic criteria of the tender, and interested companies have 90 days to submit their proposals. 

According to the report, the schedule anticipates that the first ship will be launched within 30 months of the contract being formalized, with the remaining ships being delivered successively every six months.

"With this acquisition, we will increase the number of ships in our gas carrier fleet from six to 14, expanding our transport capacity from 36 to up to 108 cubic meters. We will consolidate Transpetro as the largest Brazilian shipowner in gas transportation, strengthening the company in a segment of great importance," stated Sérgio Bacci, president of Transpetro.

Furthermore, Petrobras will announce the signing of letters of intent with the National Union of the Shipbuilding and Offshore Construction and Repair Industry (Sinaval), the Brazilian Association of Companies in the Maritime Economy (Abeemar), and the Brazilian Petroleum Institute (IBP) for the reuse of platforms. The state-owned company intends to decommission 10 platforms by 2029 and is evaluating the feasibility of reusing these units.