Petrobras subsidiary unveils international tender for four ships

Transpetro, a subsidiary of Petrobras, announced Monday (Jul. 8) the international tender for the acquisition of four Handy class ships, from 15 to 18 thousand tons of deadweight, to transport oil derivatives, like gasoline. The winning shipyard should be announced in December, when the contract is signed.

The purchase comes as part of the Petrobras’s fleet renewal and expansion program. It includes a total of 16 cabotage vessels planned for 2024–2028.

The call for tenders can be found on the Petronect portal and has the format of an open international tender. Interested companies have 90 days to submit their proposals.

Under the tender schedule, the first Handy ship is expected to be launched in the first half of 2026. The other ships are due to be delivered by mid-2028.

The process also includes technical specifications that guarantee the incorporation of a package of more efficient equipment in terms of consumption, with the possibility of using alternative fuels. As a result, the ships will be more sustainable and the carbon footprint will be reduced, meeting the requirements of the International Maritime Organization.

In the view of Transpetro President Sérgio Bacci, Monday was a vital day for Transpetro and the Petrobras system as it marked the resumption of investments in its own fleet. “This was a motto I had always stood for: the increase in the number of Brazilian-flagged ships in cabotage operations. The tender for the four Handy-class ships is open and international. All shipyards meeting the technical and economic requirements of the tender can build the ships that will be acquired,” he said at a presser.

The ships, he went on to note, will be essential for serving Petrobras and will reduce the parent company’s exposure to freight fluctuations, “mainly because there is low liquidity of vessels of this size on the market.”