Brazil to build four more vessels under Promef program

Eisa will start executing the contracts, worth R$856 million in total, next week. The first 70,000 dwt Panamax is slated for delivery by late 2012. The remaining vessels are scheduled for delivery throughout 2013. Four thousand new direct jobs are expected to be created during vessel construction.

This is the third Brazilian shipbuilder to win a Promef contract allowing for the release of funds. Previously, the Atlântico Sul Shipyard (Suape, Pernambuco) received a 15 vessel contract from Transpetro, while the Mauá Shipyard (Niterói, Rio), won another four.

The Promef’s basic premise is the manufacturing of vessels in Brazil, with 65% domestic content (first phase), 70% (second phase), and ultimately achieving international shipyard competitiveness. Promef, which revitalized the Brazilian shipping industry, has already generated 15,000 direct jobs in Brazil, a number that is expected to grow 40,000. The program, launched in 2004, envisages the construction of 49 vessels, adding four million dwt of commercial shipping. The two first Promef vessels will set sail in the first half of this year, one of which is a Suezmax tanker from the Atlântico Sul Shipyard, and the other a products tanker from the Mauá Shipyard.