Brazilian bloom: Corruption at Petrobras has seen many heads roll, but Vard's Brazilian yards continue to flower in the shipbuilding boom

摘要

The Brazilian shipbuilding industry has gone through major changes during the past decade. From a workforce of around 2,000 and empty shipyards at the turn of the century, to over 50,000 workers by 2010, the industry has grown in leaps and bounds. This incredible progress was driven almost singularly by discoveries of oil reserves offshore Brazil - specifically the discovery of massive deepwater pre-salt reservoirs along the southeastern Brazilian coast by national operator Petrobras and partners. To exploit these fields, Petrobras required more ships, including offshore support vessels (OSVs), pipe laying support vessels (PLSVs), FPSOs, tankers, LPG tankers, drillships and rigs.