The state of Rio de Janeiro will have its offshore oil and gas infrastructure expanded after the approval of 14 projects by the Merchant Marine Fund (FMM), administered by the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor).
At its first meeting of the year, held in May, the FMM board approved the requests for modernisation and expansion of projects linked to oil and gas extraction, with investment value is over R$6.6 billion ($1.2 billion).
Among the approved projects are the construction of four handysize vessels for the transportation of light petroleum derivatives by Petrobras, at a cost of R$1.5 billion, expected to take four years.
“These projects represent a new phase for Rio de Janeiro’s shipbuilding industry,” said the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho. "The state will benefit not only from the projects approved for construction in its territory, but also from the various vessels for the oil industry that will be built in other locations and that will operate in Rio and other states in the Southeast region."
Another significant investment will go to Green Port, which is building a new floating dock and modernising a shipyard located on Ilha da Conceição. Valued at R$242.2 million, the project aims to boost the unit's technical service capacity and reduce waiting times for naval maintenance and modernisation services for medium and large offshore vessels.
Cedro Participações is also developing its ITG 02 project, a greenfield port terminal focused on the movement of iron ore. The initiative will involve an investment of R$3.5 billion.