Rio Grande Shipyard held the keel-laying ceremony on 15 Oct 2026 for the first of four Handymax vessels ordered by Transpetro, marking a new phase in construction six months after steel processing for the hull began. The ceremony, attended by shipyard workers and Transpetro representatives, follows the centuries-old shipbuilding tradition symbolizing the start of a vessel's build and serving as a mark of protection for the ship and crew. The four vessels are being built under Transpetro's Mar Aberto Program, an initiative to renew and expand the Petrobras System's owned fleet. The project has mobilized more than 500 professionals at Rio Grande Shipyard this year, with steel for the hulls processed at Ecovix's facilities since April according to schedule. More than 65% of required equipment has already been purchased, and in July 11,000 tonnes of steel from Indonesia were unloaded at the shipyard to support the work. The Handymax vessels will have a deadweight capacity of 16,000 tonnes and will transport clean petroleum products including marine diesel, S10 diesel, S500 diesel and aviation gasoline. Ecovix CEO Robson Passos said the milestone reflects the shipyard's capabilities, while Transpetro's director of Maritime Transportation, Jones Soares, said the project supports the company's strategy to expand operational capacity amid rising Brazilian oil production. In total, Ecovix will build 13 vessels for Transpetro: four Handymax vessels through the Marenova Consortium, five pressurized tankers for LPG and petroleum products, and four medium-sized MR1 vessels. The combined projects are expected to generate up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.