Brazil to build eleven new shipyards to meet demand

Brazil’s National Shipyard Association (Sinaval) says that Brazil will need at least 11 new shipyards by the year 2020, in order to meet the demand of an expanding economy and oil industry, and the vast majority of the new Brazilian-flag vessels will be for the offshore industry as well as for oil platforms and drill-ships, (reports Rob Ward).

Sergio Leal, the executive-director for Sinaval, said: ‘For sure we have been suffering from a capacity shortage in recent years, but we are about to plug the capacity shortfall. It is urgent that we do so for the sake of the oil industry here and the country as a whole.’

The shortage is particularly exacerbated for the many Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) operators who want to build PSVs and AHTSs but are finding all yard slots full for up to two years and more. Shipping World & Shipbuilder subscribers recently read how Oceana bought land in the port of Itajai and then obtained US$200M of Fundo de Mercante Marinha (FMM, or Merchant Marine Fund) funding to build their own yard there and for four 4500dwt PSVs. 

Leal added: ‘We are gaining new members every few months and now have 49 members, including Oceana. During the last Golden Age of Brazilian shipbuilding, in 1979, we employed around 39 000  and now we are way past that.’

The FMM released Reais7.4bn (US$3.65bn) of cash to shipping companies and yards, and although Eike Batista’s OSX received Reais1.5bn towards its shipyard in Rio de Janeiro state, four other yards received funding for their projects.

‘Today we have 62 000 working in the yard sector, and that will rise to more than 100 000 within a few years,’ Leal told Shipping World & Shipbuilder, ‘and then it will level off. Apart from the nine yards being built or about to be built we believe one or two more will give us the capacity to meet our needs until 2030 and beyond. The biggest shortage is in the Offshore Support Vessel sector and we have to resolve this as soon as possible.’

The  new shipyards at the planning stage include: 

Estaleiro Enseada do Paraguaçu (state of Bahia, northeast), which plans to build drill ships and tankers;

Estaleiro OSX-Sao Joao da Barra (north of state of Rio de Janeiro): oil platforms and tankers;

Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz (Espirito Santo), which is still awaiting final planning permission;

Estaleiro Promar STX-Suape (Pernambuco),  to build gas tankers then OSVs;

Estaleiro CMO-Suape (Pernambuco): initially 15 oil platforms for Petrobras by 2017, and due to start building in 2014;

Estaleiro Rio Tiete-Araçatuba (Sao Paulo): building barge system for Transpetro;

P2 Estaleiro-Itajai (Santa Catarina): 100%  OSVs for Oceana;.

EISA Alagoas-Coruripe (Alagoas): small and medium sized tankers, and OSVs in the future;

Estaleiros do Brasil-Sao Jose do Norte (Rio Grande do Sul): initially for oil platforms and drill-ships.

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