Rio Grande Shipyard lays keel for first Transpetro Handy

Ecovix has held the keel-laying ceremony for the first of four Handy product tankers being built for Transpetro at the Rio Grande Shipyard, marking another step in the return of shipbuilding to a facility that had gone nearly a decade without building vessels.
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The milestone was reached on October 15, six months after steel processing began. Work is now advancing on the first bottom block of the vessel, with the second ship already entering the steel-processing phase.
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The four vessels were contracted through the Marenova consortium for US$278 million, or US$69.5 million per ship, under Transpetro’s Mar Aberto fleet renewal programme.

​Designed by Kongsberg Maritime to the NVC 615 PT concept, each tanker will measure 150.6 metres in length, 23.4 metres in breadth and approximately 15,600 DWT.
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The vessels will transport clean petroleum products including marine diesel, S10 and S500 diesel and aviation gasoline.
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They are also being built with greater fuel flexibility. Each vessel will receive one Wärtsilä 32 main engine and three Wärtsilä 20 auxiliary engines, with the propulsion package capable of operating on biofuels and prepared for future use of lower-carbon fuels. The design is also methanol and ethanol-ready.

​Construction has accelerated during 2026. More than 500 professionals have been mobilised at the shipyard, over 65% of the equipment required for the four vessels has already been purchased, and 11,000 tonnes of steel arrived from Indonesia in July.
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WSB Advisors supported the project during the bidding phase, providing technical and budgetary support to the offering group.
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The Handy programme is part of a broader Transpetro orderbook at Rio Grande. Ecovix also holds contracts for five pressurised gas carriers and four MR1 tankers, bringing the portfolio to 13 vessels.
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WSB Advisors also supported the gas-carrier and MR1 projects in design-company selection and cost estimation during the bidding phase and is acting as technical consultant during construction.
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The keel laying therefore represents more than a ceremonial milestone. Steel processing began in April, the first structural block is now being assembled and a multi-vessel production sequence is taking shape again at Rio Grande.
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