Niterói will regain prominence in the shipbuilding industry with the construction of four Handy-class tanker vessels at the Mac Laren shipyard, located in Ponta d'Areia. The contract, estimated at approximately US$ 280 million (around R$ 1.5 billion), has the potential to generate up to 1,500 direct and indirect jobs, strengthening the local economy and the shipbuilding sector's supply chain.
The vessels are part of a national fleet renewal program intended for transporting petroleum derivatives, driven by orders from Petrobras and Transpetro. The initiative seeks to expand the country's logistics capacity, reduce dependence on foreign vessels in cabotage and inland waterway transport operations, and stimulate a recovery in Brazil's shipbuilding industry.
The vessels were designed by a Norwegian engineering firm and underwent an adaptation process to suit the characteristics of Brazilian navigation. In addition to operating along the national coast, the vessels will be able to navigate regions such as the mouth of the Amazon River, accommodating the limitations of the country's ports. Each vessel will have a capacity to transport approximately ten thousand tons of petroleum derivatives.
Although manufacturing of the structural blocks will begin at a shipyard in Rio Grande do Sul, the main construction phase will be carried out in Niterói. At the Mac Laren shipyard, final assembly of the vessels, installation of propulsion systems, electrical equipment, automation systems, and all necessary technological integration will take place before the sea trials phase.
According to the Director of Infrastructure at Mac Laren shipyard, Brazilian Navy Reserve Admiral José Luiz Rangel, this program represents much more than the construction of four vessels. "It symbolizes the recovery of the shipbuilding industry, with job generation, technology transfer, strengthening of the national supplier chain, and recovery of productive capacity," he states.
The expectation is that the first vessel will be delivered in May 2028. The remaining vessels are expected to be completed at intervals of approximately four months, with the program scheduled to conclude in 2029.
Beyond job generation, the project provides for investments in specialized workforce training. The shipyard has already established partnerships with Senai, the Brazilian Navy Technical School, and equipment suppliers with the aim of training new professionals in embedded technologies, seeking to meet the demand for skilled workers and strengthen the national supplier chain.
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