Petrobras launches 4th round of fleet renewal programme

Petrobras has signed contracts for 23 support vessels and will seek an additional 24 later this year, the company announced on Friday, as part of the 3rd Fleet Renewal Plan for Offshore Support Vessels.

The units, type PSV 4500 and OSRV 750, fulfil 60 per cent local content requirements and will be built in Brazil. Prices presented were competitive, given expected metrics and budgets, Petrobras said.

This was the 4th Round of the Fleet Renewal Plan. In July this year, Petrobras will go to the
market for another 24 offshore support vessels (5th Round), thus fulfilling the 2014 contracting
target of 146 vessels to be built in Brazil, as planned in the 3rd Renewal Plan Fleet for Offshore
Support Vessels.

Under the programme, the Petrobras fleet will grow from 287 ships at the end of 2010 to 433 ships by 2017. The plan sees international partners as integral to developing the shipbuilding expertise required to expand Brazil’s offshore marine sector.