Jan 20 (Reuters) – Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras and its logistics subsidiary Transpetro on Tuesday signed contracts with shipyards for five gas carriers, 18 barges and 18 pushers, for 2.8 billion reais ($521 million).
The companies made the deal official at an event in Brazil’s southern Rio Grande do Sul state. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has prioritized boosting the country’s shipbuilding sector, attended the ceremony.
A shipyard in Rio Grande do Sul will build the five tankers, representing 2.2 billion reais of the deal, to carry liquefied petroleum gas, known as cooking gas, and derivatives, according to a statement from Petrobras.
Two of the tankers will have a capacity of 14,000 cubic meters, while the other three will be able to transport 7,000 cubic meters each, it said.
The first gas tanker will be delivered within 33 months after construction begins, with new deliveries every six months, the state-run firm added.
Shipyards in two other Brazilian states will build the remaining barges and pushers, and Transpetro will operate all ships.
“With these contracts, we are preparing Petrobras for the growth of our production in the coming years and boosting the recovery of the national shipbuilding industry,” Petrobras Chief Executive Officer Magda Chambriard said in the statement.
($1 = 5.3761 reais)
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