Petrobrás prepares mega bidding for the purchase of 146 vessels
Valor Econômico - 03/27/2008
The Brazilian naval offshore industry lives a moment of expectation. Shipyards, shipowners and equipment suppliers await Petrobrás' announcement of the largest program of construction and chartering of vessels of support to the offshore oil and gas rigs ever launched in the country. The planning of the state-owned company foresees the public bid for 146 vessels to be built in Brazil, with the increase of the national content, until 2014. The order should total investments of nearly R$ 10 billion (US$ 5.7 billion), according to market estimates. The launching of the program has two purposes: to renew the fleet and to meet the demand caused by the increase of the production of oil and natural gas also taking into consideration the development of the production of the fields of Tupi and Jupiter, in the area known as pre-salt of the Santos basin. An officer of a navigation company said the demand for offshore vessels grows above the oil production. The new fields of the pre-salt area are fairly distant from the coast which will require more complex and sophisticated vessels. The package to be bid by Petrobrás might include offshore ships of great power intended for the new challenges presented by the pre-salt area. That is the case of the AHTS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply) model of 21 thousand HP, which should have eight units expected to be bid by Petrobrás up to 2014 (each unit has an estimate cost of US$ 60 million). In addition to this model, the package would include ten AHTS units with 15 thousand HP and 46 other vessels with 18 thousand HP. Among the PSVs (Platform Supply Vessel), the most used support vessels in Brazil, 49 3-thousand-ton units and another 15 4.5-thousand-ton units are to be bid. Altogether, 64 AHTS should be bid and the same number of PSVs. There are comments that 18 ORSVs (Oil Recover Supply Vessels), ships that work in the combat to oil spillage, but that have other applications, may be ordered. In total, the investment in the group of 146 ships varies, according to the calculations of the sector, between US$ 5.5 billion and US$ 5.8 billion, something around R$ 10 billion. The figures are not official. Valor tried to speak to Petrobrás and sent it written questions, on Monday, but the information from the press office of the company was that the state-owned company would not say anything on the subject.