Last day 24 april, Petrobras released the official qualification notice for their latest
AHTS tender. After disqualifying the first two contenders from CBO, AH Liguria and AH
Valletta, for not considering the installation of battery packs – a mandatory requirement of the
tender which intended to hire up to two vessels with hybrid-propulsion – Petrobras officialises
the technical and commercial qualification of Bram Offshore’s Mr. Chafic.
If no claims/appeals are made by the competing bidders, thus resulting in an award for the vessel, owners
Bram Offshore will be granted by Petrobras a 12-month period after beginning of operations
for the vessel to be fully compliant with the battery pack requirements. Will this be the
first ever vessel to display a hybrid propulsion configuration in Brazil? Or maybe someone
else will beat Petrobras to it? Regardless of who achieves it first, when it happens it will be
a milestone that will undoubtedly provoke great changes in our offshore market.
