A big set of offshore support vessel tenders in Brazil may lure ships from other markets, brokers believe.
Energy giant Petrobras has been making waves in the sector with offers to charter more than 40 ships, mainly platform supply vessels.
Norwegian broker Seabrokers said it remains to be seen how many contracts will go to units already based in Brazil.
But it added: “It is almost guaranteed that several of the vessels will end up being sourced from other regions. This will only serve to further tighten availability in parts of the world where vessel supply is already limited, particularly for high-specification tonnage.”
One Petrobras tender has requested up to 20 PSVs for four-year firm contracts starting between May and August 2023.
A second specifies four PSVs to support operations at Petrobras’ Mero field, with 914-day contracts up for grabs from August or September next year.
Two more deals could see 15 ships employed from next year at fields including Buzios and Roncador. These terms will be over three and four years.
A fifth tender calls for two anchor-handling tug supply (AHTS) ships over four years.
Shipbroker Fearnley Offshore Supply has said Brazil continues to demand tonnage to accommodate its ambitious growth plans.
Norwegian players in particular are understandably becoming increasingly focused on the region, with companies such as DOF Group and Solstad Offshore having a strong presence there.
There has been a clear trend of OSV tonnage exiting the North Sea for other continents.
Trading conditions within the North Sea spot market have been much more palatable for charterers over the past couple of months than they were earlier in the year, Seabrokers argues.
Average monthly spot rates for October came in at £10,248 ($11,700) per day for large PSVs in the UK.
It was a quiet month in Norway, and the limited number of requirements left charterers in a comfortable position where almost every spot PSV fixture came in below NOK 100,000 ($9,700).
AHTS owners were unable to break through the £20,000 barrier, and there were even some offers coming in below £10,000, the broker said.
