Petrobras announced on its official website that Brazilian President Lula recently visited the Detroit Shipyard in Itajaí, Santa Catarina State, to inspect the construction of offshore support vessels. These new vessels are part of Petrobras’ “Mar Aberto Program,” which aims to modernize and expand the company’s fleet.
Under the plan, Petrobras will build 42 vessels at shipyards in the state of Santa Catarina with a projected total investment of 12 billion reais (approximately US$2.32 billion); this batch of new ships is scheduled for delivery two years ahead of the original plan.
Specifically, Detroit Shipyard and Navship are jointly building 16 offshore support vessels; of these, six platform supply vessels (PSVs) and four oil spill recovery vessels (OSRVs) will be constructed at the Itajaí facility, while the remaining six PSVs will be built at the Navegantes facility.
The Navegantes shipyard will also build eight subsea engineering support vessels (RSVs, ROV support vessels) and 18 pushboats; the pushboats will be delivered to the fleet of Transpetro.
Currently, the vessel under construction at the Detroit shipyard that is progressing the fastest is the “Starnav Elektra” platform supply vessel, which is scheduled for delivery in July 2026. This class of platform supply vessels features a new power generation and distribution system, equipped with battery packs and a remote energy consumption monitoring and control system; it is designed to be converted in the future to operate partially on renewable fuels. The vessels also incorporate new coating technologies and anti-fouling systems, which help reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
It is understood that Petrobras’ ongoing “Open Ocean Program” underscores the company’s commitment to modernizing and expanding the national fleet, which will play a key role in ensuring logistics for oil and gas exploration and production and promoting the development of Brazil’s shipbuilding industry. The company operates the world’s largest fleet of offshore support vessels, responsible for transporting crude oil and other petroleum products.
The plan envisages the construction of 96 new vessels by 2032, with an estimated investment of 32 billion Brazilian reais (approximately US$6.186 billion) in Brazil’s shipbuilding industry. The project entails the construction and chartering of 40 new offshore support vessels, 20 coastal transport vessels, 18 barges, and 18 pusher tugs, all intended to modernize and upgrade Petrobras’s fleet. At least 40% of the new vessels ordered under this project will be built by Brazilian shipyards, with financing provided by the Merchant Marine Fund (FMM).
According to publicly available information, Petrobras has placed orders for 72 new vessels under its “Open Ocean Program.” The remaining 30 vessels comprise: four 40,000 DWT MR1 product tankers, three 7,000-cubic-meter fully pressurized gas carriers, and two 14,000-cubic-meter fully pressurized gas carriers (all to be built by the Rio Grande Shipyard in Brazil); 18 barges (to be built by Bertolini Amazônia Shipyard in Brazil); and three 10,000-cubic-meter semi-refrigerated /ammonia carriers (awarded to the Chinese shipyard Dashenzhou Shipbuilding through a competitive bidding process).
