Hamworthy wins £50 million LPG order in Brazil

20.07.2010

Tore Lunde, Hamworthy Gas Systems Managing Director, signing the contract with members of the Estaleiro Promar S.A yard, Hamworthy's agents in Brazil - Tridente and Hamworthy Gas Systems.

Hamworthy has been awarded a contract by Brazilian shipyard Estaleiro Promar S.A. covering the ship design and supply of cargo handling systems for eight liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers destined for operation by Transpetro, a subsidiary of Petrobras.

The marine and offshore fluid handling systems specialist won the contract, worth in the region of £50 million, to undertake the design of the ships and cargo tanks, in addition to the cargo handling system. Delivery of the equipment is scheduled from mid-2012 to mid-2015.

The contract was secured by the Group’s Gas Systems division, which will supply the LPG cargo handling systems. Full ship design is being undertaken by Hamworthy Baltic Design Centre, Hamworthy’s specialist ship design arm, located in Poland. The Group will also supply deepwell pump cargo pumping systems from its Danish subsidiary Hamworthy Svanehøj A/S, a world leader in the gas carriers pump market.

Two of the new ships will have a capacity of 4,000 m³, four will have a capacity of 7,000 m³ and two a capacity of 12,000 m³.

Tore Lunde, Hamworthy Gas Systems’ Managing Director, said: "We are delighted to be awarded this significant contract in the small LPG carrier market. Our specialist ship design arm, Hamworthy Baltic Design has enabled us to increase our scope of supply significantly. Not only are we providing the liquefaction technology and cargo pumps, on this contract we are providing the ship and tank design, as well as the tanks themselves."

Hamworthy acquired a majority stake in the naval architecture consultancy Baltic Design Centre in November 2008. The acquisition has both increased the cost competitiveness of the gas systems business and augmented the Group’s wider design capabilities, giving better insights into customers’ operational requirements.

Compared to the overall shipbuilding market, demand for smaller LPG carriers has shown marked resilience. The total investment in these eight LPG carriers, which form part of the Promef fleet modernization and expansion program, is estimated at US$536 million. A total of 46 ships have been contracted under Promef.

The ships will be constructed at Estaleiro Promar S.A a green field yard near Estaleiro Atlântico Sul on Tatuoca Island. The expectation is that Promar will begin the construction of the ships within one year. The first ship of this series will be delivered in 2013.

Promar is the second shipyard to be built as a result of the orders placed by Transpetro. The first, Estaleiro Atlântico Sul (EAS), is now the largest in Brazil, and will assemble 22 ships for the government-owned company.

Hamworthy