AET takes delivery of first of four DP2 shuttle tankers for Petrobras

In May 2018 AET and Petrobras entered into a long-term charter to operate four suezmax shuttle tankers in the Brazilian Basin and Eagle Petrolina is the first of these contracted vessels. She was delivered to AET on 22 May 2020 and will commence her operations in mid-late June joining the two vessels AET already operates in the Brazilian Basin for Petrobras.

Eagle Petrolina was built at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in South Korea where her three sisters are currently under construction and due to be delivered later this year.

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, all extra health and safety precautions were taken by the AET and Eaglestar site teams working closely together with the SHI team to safeguard the ongoing construction and delivery.

Although Petrobras has registered COVID-19 cases among offshore workers, including contractors, the company said it has adopted several safety measures such as large-scale testing, and that the number of cases has stabilised in recent days.

The four 152,000-dwt -vessels have been built to Petrobras’ technical requirements for DP2 shuttle tankers in a collaboration with SHI, DNV-GL and Eaglestar and will operate to the highest operational and environmental standards, including full compliance with IMO NOx Tier 3 and SOx emission requirements. Each is equipped with electrical driven cargo pumps for enhanced fuel efficiency, high power thrusters and are fully capable of operating in weather conditions expected for their class.

Related:Total charters LNG-powered VLCC newbuilds from AET

 “Constructing and delivering Eagle Petrolina safely amid the COVID-19 outbreak is a big accomplishment and testament to the commitment of all parties involved. The safe delivery of Eagle Petrolina is a prime testament of what can be achieved when everyone works together to be part of a solution,” said AET President and ceo Rajalingam Subramanian.

“For AET, seeing the agreement we reached with Petrobras two years ago now coming into operation is another important step in growing our specialist DP activities in the Brazilian Basin and our partnership with Petrobras. The Eagle Petrolina further demonstrates our continued commitment to high-quality, safe and eco responsible operations. As a second generation DPST, she is more environmentally-friendly than current average DPST assets operating in the Brazilian basin,” he added.

AET currently operates seven DP shuttle tankers (including Eagle Petrolina) and has a further 10 shuttle tankers under construction to be delivered between 2020 to 2022.