Petrobras presents demand for hiring and opportunities for the national industry

Petrobras authorized processes for hiring support vessels for exploration and production logistics, with the aim of meeting short-term demand for the years 2025 and 2026. It also approved the hiring of new support vessels for long-term demands , whose technical specifications will focus on new technological solutions for efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These opportunities mark the beginning of a series of hirings to meet the company’s Strategic Plan.

The company estimates that it will hire around 200 support vessels in the period 2024-2028, both to replace current contracts and to increase the fleet. Of this total, it is estimated that there will be opportunities to build up to 38 new vessels, to meet new demands and partly to renew the fleet with more modern and more sustainable units.

The hiring processes will be announced in the coming days. In the first tender aimed at building new boats, the forecast is to hire 12 PSV-type support vessels (Platform Supply VesselPlatform Supply Vessel).

It is also planned to hire cabotage ships, FPSOs, vessels to carry out underwater and well activities, in addition to platform decommissioning activities.

“We are in permanent contact with the supplier market and studying the best contracting strategies that allow us to meet Petrobras’ demand, while maintaining the competitiveness of the processes. We are also committed to the development of our local supplier market, promoting initiatives that can create opportunities for the national industry”, declared Jean Paul Prates, president of Petrobras.

The projects that will be implemented by Petrobras will increase demand from the national offshore industry. According to the company’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028+, the investment in all its activities, of US$ 102 billion, will generate 280 thousand direct and indirect jobs per year.

More opportunities

By 2028, 14 new platform ships are planned, in different stages of construction, with opportunities for the Brazilian offshore industry. Currently, considering the 2028+ scenario, the company is carrying out six contracting processes for FPSO-type platform ships (floating production, storage and transfer unit). Four are related to the chartering (rental) of platforms and two are for Petrobras’ own units, with demands for the construction of modules in Brazil, an activity aligned with the vocation of the national offshore industry.

Petrobras will have a fleet of approximately 25 drill ships in 2024, used in oil research activities. By 2028, the company expects its fleet to reach 30 rigs.

In subsea activities, new vessel contracts for the period 2024-2027 are already in an advanced stage of negotiation in the current contracting processes, in addition to the evaluation of long-term opportunities for this segment.

In the cabotage activity, that is, the transport of cargo carried out by ships within the limits of the Brazilian coast, for fleet recomposition, there are studies to acquire new ships in addition to the traditional competitive chartering processes. Petrobras’ current fleet is 26 ships, and sixteen more of different types are being studied, with the potential to be built within the 2024-2028 plan horizon.

Production platform ships end their production cycle through an activity called decommissioning, which includes the sustainable recycling of their materials. This activity also generates demand for the national industry. By 2028, Petrobras plans to decommission 23 platforms, 9 of which are fixed and 14 floating.

Petrobras’ variety of demands opens up many opportunities for the Brazilian offshore industry. In this sense, the company has been presenting its project portfolio since last year at various supplier forums, so that the market can prepare itself for future orders.