Transpetro, a subsidiary of Petrobras, has announced a public tender for the acquisition of 18 barges and 18 push boats, with deliveries expected through 2028. The process is divided into six lots, three for barges and three for push boats, and allows a single shipyard to be awarded more than one lot. Interested shipyards will have 45 days to submit their proposals.
The barges will be designed to transport a minimum of two grades fully segregated and will incorporate modern technologies. Among the 18 units to be built, ten will be of 3.000 DWT and eight of 2.000 DWT.”
According to Transpetro President Sérgio Bacci, the initiative reinforces the company’s commitment to generating consistent demand for Brazil’s shipbuilding industry while expanding its operational capacity along the entire Brazilian coast. The project also marks Transpetro’s entry into the inland navigation segment, an area in which the company had not previously operated.
The state-owned operator aims to strengthen its role in the transport of petroleum products and biofuels, supporting activity in domestic shipyards and promoting new logistics solutions for its more than 170 clients. Brazil’s inland barge market currently handles around 10 million tons of liquid bulk per year.
Daniel Buckley, Chartering Manager and tanker specialist at WSB Advisors, noted that the new barges are expected to load products at Transpetro terminals and directly supply vessels in barge-to-ship operations, such as in Guanabara Bay — a step aligned with growing demand for marine fuel distribution and logistical integration within inland waterways and protected waters
