en.Wedoany.com Reported - Brazil's Rio Grande Shipyard (Estaleiro Rio Grande) received approximately 11,000 tons of steel plates from Indonesia on July 9 for the construction of four Handymax vessels ordered by Transpetro under the "Programa Mar Aberto" (Open Sea Program), marking the quiet restart of the largest shipbuilding hub in southern Brazil after nearly a decade of inactivity.
The steel has been unloaded at the Port of Rio Grande and will begin processing immediately. The steel plates were purchased from Indonesia by Ecovix, the shipyard's holding company, and serve as the primary raw material for the first four oil tankers in a batch of 13 vessels to be delivered to Transpetro. The contract between the two parties was signed in 2024, with a total value of $427 million. Each Handymax vessel for Transpetro has a deadweight tonnage between 15,000 and 18,000 tons, making them suitable for coastal transportation in Brazil—namely, the transport of petroleum derivatives between domestic ports. For years, Transpetro operated aging vessels, and a significant portion of derivative transport business had been lost to foreign shipowners. Once the new vessels enter service, they will allow older units to be retired and improve overall system efficiency.
Petrobras announced the "Programa Mar Aberto" in 2024, aiming to renew and expand the company's owned fleet. The program plans to order dozens of vessels from Brazilian shipyards to create jobs and restore local content rates—a requirement for offshore vessel tenders and contracts. This is the largest shipbuilding order by the state-owned enterprise in over a decade. Currently, the Rio Grande shipyard employs approximately 500 professionals working on hull and structural tasks, and the company expects the workforce to approach 1,600 during peak assembly across three parallel production lines.
More than half of the equipment required for the Handymax vessels has already been procured and will be shipped to Rio Grande in line with Transpetro's construction milestones. The equipment package includes main engines, control systems, tanks, piping, and other components, involving both domestic and international supply chains. Regarding the choice of steel plate origin, Ecovix imported steel from Indonesia, which offered the best combination of price, certified quality, and delivery schedule. Industry executives noted that engines, labor, design services, and most equipment remain in Brazil, meeting the program's requirements. The proportion of domestically supplied marine steel is still under discussion within the industry, and it is expected that subsequent batches may gradually increase domestic supply.
Transpetro, a wholly owned subsidiary of Petrobras, operates Brazil's largest derivative logistics business—coastal transportation connecting refineries, offshore export terminals, and major ports. Under the "Programa Mar Aberto," approximately thirty new vessels will be added to Transpetro's fleet in the coming years, including Handymax, MR2, VLGC, and specialized vessels. The standard construction period for Handymax vessels is approximately 24 to 36 months, with Transpetro's first vessel expected to be delivered in 2028 or 2029.
