Rio de Janeiro – The technical proposals for the tender of eight gas tankers (turned to liquefied natural gas) under the Program for Modernisation and Expansion of the Fleet (Promef) were approved by Petrobras Transportes S.A. (Transpetro) last week. The companies considered capable of building vessels for the transport of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) were the three participating in the tender: Mauá, Eisa and Promar Ceará.
Based on the results of this analysis, the tendering commission should start evaluating the commercial proposals from the shipyards, opened last Friday (27th) at the Transpetro offices, in Rio de Janeiro. The proposals will be classified by price and later negotiated with the shipyards, aiming at reaching the best possible financial conditions for the state-owned company, which is a Petrobras subsidiary. Only after this process will Transpetro announce the winner of the tender.
According to Transpetro, all the gas tankers included in the Promef were brought together in just one block. Four vessels are for 7,000 cubic metres, two for 12,000 cubic metres and two for 4,000 cubic meters. They should be built at shipyards in Brazil and the level of nationalisation must be at least 70%, including the purchase of equipment and services.
The program for revitalisation of the naval industry in Brazil has generated 13,000 direct work posts in the country to date. The total should rise as high as 40,000. The Promef forecasts the construction of 49 ships, totalling 4 million tonnes. A total of 33 vessels have already been tendered, of which six should be set to sea in 2010.
*Translated by Mark Ament
