Shuttle Tanker Day

Shuttle Tanker Day connects EFOMM students with Brazil’s growing offloading market

Shuttle tanker operations were the focus of an industry event held on September 10 at CIAGA, in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together specialists and students from Brazil’s Merchant Marine Officers Training School (EFOMM).

Shuttle Tanker Day was organized by Sindmar and Fundação Gente do Mar (FGMar), in partnership with Transpetro and Tsakos Group.

The event focused on shuttle tanker operations and the importance of these vessels to Brazil’s maritime and offshore oil industries.

The timing comes as Brazil continues to strengthen its position in this specialized segment.

KNOT Offshore Partners describes Brazil as the world’s largest shuttle tanker market. In its latest results, the company reported that 15 of its 19 vessels operated in Brazil during the second quarter of 2026 and said the market continues to tighten, particularly in the Suezmax segment.

Tsakos Energy Navigation is already an established participant in the shuttle tanker segment. Following the delivery of Anfield DP in July 2026, TEN said it operates seven shuttle tankers on long-term employment and has maintained a presence in Brazil’s offshore market since 2012. The company currently has another nine shuttle tankers on order.

Transpetro is also expanding its offloading capacity. Through its Dutch subsidiary TIBV, the company contracted nine Suezmax DP2 shuttle tankers from Tsakos Group under 15-year bareboat charter agreements. Each vessel will have approximately 150,000 DWT and will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.

Two units are scheduled for delivery in 2027 and the remaining seven in 2028. According to Transpetro, the new vessels will increase its platform offloading capacity from approximately 700,000 DWT to 1.35 million DWT.

The program will also expand Tsakos’ shuttle tanker fleet from the seven vessels currently in operation to 16 units once the nine newbuilds are delivered.

The connection with Shuttle Tanker Day therefore goes beyond the newbuilding program. Tsakos already has an established presence in Brazil’s offshore shuttle tanker market, while Transpetro currently operates seven DP shuttle tankers and is preparing to expand its own offloading capacity through the nine vessels contracted from Tsakos.

During Shuttle Tanker Day, Sindmar and Conttmaf president Carlos Augusto Müller highlighted Brazil’s significant presence in the global shuttle tanker segment and the importance of preparing professionals for these operations.

Shuttle tankers are a critical link in Brazil’s offshore logistics chain, receiving crude from FPSOs and transporting it to terminals, refineries or export destinations.

The event also included Sindmar vice president José Válido, CLC Cláudio Barbosa from FGMar, CLC Diogo Brazuna Nogueira from Transpetro and Captain Thanos Moschos from Tsakos Group.