Brazil's economy minister has signalled the state's intention to sell off oil giant Petrobras within the next decade.
A privatisation would put shipping unit Transpetro's fleet of 27 tankers and LPG carriers up for grabs.
The whole group has a market capitalisation of $66bn.
Economy minister Paulo Guedes told an online event hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce that a number of "ambitious" divestments to private investors should move forward in the next 10 years.
"What is the plan for the next 10 years? Continue with privatisations. Petrobras, Banco do Brasil, everyone getting in line, being sold and this being transformed into social dividends," he said.
Guedes said this is a "very clear" intention, but admitted that such deals rely heavily on political agreements.
Presidential opposition
President Jair Bolsonaro has said he opposes the privatisation of the two state giants.
Guedes said: "I come here full of ideas and plans and dreams. Now it is politics that commands the whole process. It can brake, it can slow down, it can interrupt."
The minister believes the country has been too slow in getting rid of government-controlled companies.
VesselsValue assesses the Transpetro fleet as worth $809m.
It owns suezmaxes, aframaxes, product tankers and six LPG carriers, all built after 2011, as well as an anchor-handling tug built in 1976.
Older ships going
The shipowner has been clearing out older vessels. In January, the 153,000-dwt suezmax Ataulfo Alves (built 2000) went for scrap at $430 per ldt, or nearly $10m, on an "as is" basis in Indonesia.
More than a dozen elderly ships have left the fleet in the past two years.
Trading and logistics chief Andre Chiarini said at a December conference that Petrobras plans to remove a total of 17 tankers from its fleet.
"If necessary, we will look for new ships or chartered-in ships. It depends on our plans that are coming later on," he said.
Earlier in September, the president of Transpetro resigned after a year in the role.
Petrobras said Gustavo Raposo Santos had handed in his notice, without giving a reason.
The group will now consider appointing Transpetro director of services Luiz Eduardo Valente as president.
