Rio de Janeiro – Next week, the Ilha Shipyard (Eisa), located in Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro, should start building four Panamax-type vessels under the Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program (Promef) of the Transpetro, a subisidiary of Petrobras. The vessels have a combined value of 856 million Brazilian reals (US$ 480 million).
Financing contracts for the works were signed yesterday (31st) by the Transpetro, the Eisa shipyard and the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).
Delivery of the first Panamax, with capacity for 500,000 barrels of oil, is due late 2012. The remaining ones will be delivered throughout 2013. The estimate is that roughly 4,000 direct jobs will be created during the building of the vessels.
The Promef ascribes priority to the manufacturing of vessels at domestic shipyards. According to the Transpetro, the Promef has revitalized the Brazilian naval industry, having accounted for the creation of 15,000 direct jobs in the country. The company expects the program to have created 40,000 jobs before it ends.
Launched in 2004, it provides for the building of 49 ships, which should increase the overall Brazilian maritime transportation capacity by 4 million tonnes.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
