Petrobras to commission four more ships, upping orders to 48 by 2026

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By Rodrigo Viga Gaier

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras PETR4.SA will commission four more support vessels by 2026, Chief Executive Magda Chambriard told Reuters, increasing the number of new ships aimed at supporting its operations to 48 by 2026.

The reinforcement of Petrobras' fleet comes amid expectations of higher offshore oil output in the next few years as new production units come online at the Buzios field, where it expects to produce up to 2 million barrels per day by 2030.

The commissioning of new vessels by the oil giant follows President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's plans to revitalize the country's shipbuilding industry, using the firm to fuel demand and create local jobs.

The company initially expected to contract 44 vessels by 2026. The plans include support vessels, platform support vessels, coastal shipping vessels and gas tankers, among others, according to Chambriard.

The head of Petrobras' transportation and logistics subsidiary Transpetro, Sergio Bacci, had already mentioned in an interview with Reuters last week that it was possible that new vessels would be added to the oil firm's plans.