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Tuesday, February 7, witnessed the first step towards the concretization of the Technological Improvement Program to Boost the Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry, with the signing of an agreement worth approximately US$ 14.6 million.
The accord was made between Brazil's Ministry of Science and Technology, the Studies and Projects Finance Agency (FINEP, which is linked to the Ministry), Petrobras (Brazilian Petroleum, S.A.), Transpetro (a Petrobras subsidiary), and nine of the country's research institutes, most of them associated with public universities. According to the Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology, Sérgio Resende, the agreement will foster the development of technology to enhance the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry. The president of Transpetro, Sérgio Machado, said that the object of the agreement is to create technological conditions for the Brazilian shipbuilding industry to regain a prominent position in the global shipbuilding market, which accounts for an annual turnover of US$ 70 billion. According to Machado, Petrobras and Transpetro established a basis for the competitive recovery of the nation's shipyards through their Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program, with orders for 42 vessels. The Technological Improvement Program comprises eight projects that identify the chief obstacles impeding the sector's growth. The research institutes will be responsible for developing technological solutions to modernize Brazil's shipbuilding industry, making it globally competitive. One of the projects is intended to perfect the structural construction processes involved in shipbuilding, while another is a laboratory simulating shipyard design in order to optimize different sequences of ship assembly. Agência Brasil
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