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.

Transpetro is also expanding its offloading capacity. The company has contracted nine new Suezmax DP2 shuttle tankers through Tsakos Group, each with approximately 150,000 DWT and to 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 fleet will increase its platform offloading capacity from approximately 700,000 DWT to 1.35 million DWT.

The connection is particularly relevant: Tsakos and Transpetro, both involved in a major shuttle tanker fleet expansion program for Brazil, were also directly involved in the event with EFOMM students.

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.