DOF Group ASA has secured 12-year charter and services contracts from Petrobras worth close to $2bn, committing the Norwegian offshore vessel owner to four Brazilian-built ROV support vessel newbuilds for subsea inspection, maintenance and repair work, according to DOF.
The contracts, awarded after a competitive tender process, are expected to start from 2030 and will support Petrobras’ subsea IMR operations in Brazilian deepwater fields.
DOF said the four RSVs are expected to be built at Navship in Brazil. The first two vessels are planned for delivery within four years after contract signing, matching the contract start-up schedule.
The DP2 vessels will be about 98 metres long, with a beam of 20 metres and a draft of 6.3 metres. Each will have an offshore subsea crane, accommodation for up to 58 people and two work-class ROVs, and will be built to ABS class.
The vessels will be designed for hybrid fuel propulsion using ethanol, diesel and battery packs. DOF expects financing to include a large portion of local development debt funding on terms the company called attractive.
DOF Subsea Brasil will perform the contracts and services and remain solely responsible for the charter and service obligations.
DOF said it is considering alternative ownership structures for the vessels as part of its financial strategy, but said any such arrangements would not affect DOF Subsea Brasil’s contractual commitments.
“We are very proud to be awarded these contracts by Petrobras,” DOF chief executive Mons S. Aase said. He said the awards support “low risk growth and environmentally friendly fleet renewal” and strengthen DOF’s position in Brazil’s subsea IMR market.
Aase added that the contracts underline the durability of Brazil’s offshore oil and gas market and said the four newbuilds would add “valuable import tonnage capacity” for DOF’s international fleet into one of the world’s most attractive subsea markets.
DOF Group ASA is a Norwegian public limited company providing offshore and subsea services to the offshore energy industry, combining vessel operations with engineering and project execution capabilities.
DOF Subsea Brasil is the Brazilian DOF entity responsible for the Petrobras charter and service obligations under the awarded contracts.
Petrobras, formally Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., is a Brazilian energy company controlled by Brazil’s federal government, with operations across oil and gas exploration and production, transportation, refining and related energy activities.
Navship is the Brazilian shipbuilder named by DOF as the expected yard for the four ROV support vessel newbuilds.
