SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - Sembcorp Marine (Sembmarine) has bagged a US$150 million (S$209 million) engineering, procurement and construction contract from Emgepron, a state-owned company linked to the Ministry of Defence in Brazil.
Under the contract, Sembmarine will construct a newbuild support vessel called the NApAnt, which will be deployed by the Brazilian Navy for scientific research under the Brazilian Antarctic Programme.
The project will be executed through the group's Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz (EJA) yard in Brazil to comply with the requirement of local content, said Sembmarine in a press statement on Tuesday (June 14).
The group also intends to draw from pooled resources of its global network, including knowledge and experience of Sembcorp Marine Specialised Shipbuilding (SMSS) in the design and construction of high-performance and specialised vessels.
Both EJA and SMSS are wholly owned subsidiaries of Sembmarine.
Measuring 93.9m in length, 18.5m in width and weighing about 5,800 tonnes with a draft of 6m, the new vessel will be built to navigational ice field standards, classified as P-6.
Construction will commence in 2022 and is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2025. Upon completion, NApAnt will replace the navy's current ocean support vessel, which is approaching the end of its life cycle.
The new vessel is also expected to "add a new operative dimension to the Brazilian Antarctic Programme", said Sembmarine in its statement.
Shares of the group closed up 0.3 cent, or 2.6 per cent, at 11.7 cents on Tuesday.
