Transpetro is preparing a study to resume building ships in Brazil

The president of Transpetro, Sérgio Bacci, announced this Thursday (4) that the priority of the new management is to start building ships in Brazil again. The Petrobras subsidiary currently has 26 ships and contracts the services of another ten of foreign origin. The company created an internal working group to carry out a survey in up to 60 days on the demands of the sector, the situation of the shipyards and the costs involved in the operations. In addition, there are negotiations with federal government agencies for the construction of ships to enter the list of investment priorities, as it understands that there is a great potential for job creation.

Bacci assured that the effort will be accompanied by a concern with financial and administrative probity, starting with the creation of mechanisms to avoid deviations and illicit operations.

“We are going to build ships, but it will not be at any price and at any time. We need parameters to avoid problems”, said the president. “On Tuesday, I went to Brasilia to visit the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) and the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) so that they can monitor this ship building project from the ground up. I want close monitoring by the control bodies. And the two institutions made themselves available to do this work”.

In financial terms, Transpetro reported that it has a surplus and has no cash problems. Among the available sources of funds is the Merchant Marine Fund, set up in 1958 to finance the shipbuilding industry. But the company is also joining Petrobras and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) in the Mixed Commission that will discuss other investment possibilities.

Bacci reinforced that discussions about the privatization of the company are a turning point. The focus now is on resuming public tenders, expanding customers, increasing operating capacity and services offered by the company.

“For the shipbuilding industry to be effective, it needs to be perennial, with long-term demand. And unfortunately, here in Brazil, you live with ups and downs. It has ten years of strong shipbuilding, then it goes another ten years without orders. We need to build the project thinking about the country, not the government. It has to be a state project. Regardless of who is in charge, the project must always continue.”

To speed up construction, one of the ways is to encourage shipyards currently at a standstill to resume work. In this sense, Transpetro also said it had made progress in conversations with the TCU and the CGU.

“The shipyard is part of an economic group, which entered into a leniency agreement, that is, the problem is paid. If you made the deal, there’s no reason not to be hired. This is one of the things I discussed with the CGU and they agree. So, we have this type of shipyard that is a quick solution. There are those who did not enter into a leniency agreement, but the CGU is open to talking. We need to overcome this phase. If not, will we ever hire in Brazil again? Are we going to continue hiring everything in China? Is this what we want for the country? We need to move forward”.