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Petrobras PBR has signed offshore and subsea contracts, boosting its strategic investments in Brazil’s energy infrastructure. These new contracts reflect a robust expansion of the exploration, production and refining capabilities, cementing its role as a global leader in deepwater operations. As Brazil’s state-controlled energy giant, Petrobras continues to scale up efforts aimed at maintaining operational efficiency, environmental safety and technological superiority across its projects.
DOF Group, an offshore specialist of Norway, has secured two key contracts from this integrated oil and gas company, signaling a deepening partnership and confidence in its maritime capabilities. These long-term agreements reinforce Petrobras' reliance on technically advanced vessels for its offshore missions and reflect a consistent strategy to utilize high-spec assets in challenging environments.
The first award involves the Skandi Logger, an anchor handling tug supply (“AHTS”) vessel boasting a 250-ton bollard pull. Scheduled to commence operations in February 2026, the Skandi Logger will operate under the Brazilian flag, further complying with local content requirements and maritime legislation. The vessel’s primary role will include deepwater anchor handling, towing and support activities — critical operations for safe and stable offshore infrastructure management.
This is not DOF’s first collaboration with Petrobras. It follows earlier awards for the Skandi Iguaçu, Skandi Angra, Skandi Paraty and Skandi Urca, forming a fleet of advanced AHTS vessels already integrated into Petrobras’ logistical network.
A second key contract has been granted to the Skandi Achiever, a remote subsea vessel (“RSV”). Beginning in December 2025, this four-year agreement perfectly coincides with the end of the vessel’s current operation in Brazil. The contract includes full deployment of the vessel’s two work-class remotely operated vehicles and a heavy-duty subsea crane, positioning it for complex subsea interventions, inspections and repairs.
The two vessel contracts have a combined value exceeding $275 million, strengthening DOF’s portfolio and extending its operational longevity in South America’s waters.
As part of a strategic initiative to monitor and protect subsea infrastructure, Petrobras has awarded Fugro four comprehensive contracts. These multi-year agreements, starting in fourth-quarter 2025, cover four years with options for one-year extensions. The contracts highlight PBR’s dedication to advanced asset integrity management and proactive monitoring of underwater facilities.
Fugro will deploy four dedicated vessels — two from its own fleet and two from regional partners — to oversee these missions. Each vessel will be equipped with high-precision remotely operated vehicles, designed to perform routine inspections, structural assessments and real-time monitoring of pipelines, risers, manifolds and other key subsea assets.
Fugro’s expertise in geodata acquisition, combined with its advanced visualization and analytics platforms, will allow Petrobras to maintain continuous insight into the operational condition of the subsea network. This initiative is integral to minimizing unplanned shutdowns, mitigating environmental risks and improving lifecycle performance across its offshore assets.
These contracts signify Petrobras’ strategic transition to digitalization and smart monitoring, an important advancement in capital-intensive offshore operations where early fault detection and predictive maintenance greatly enhance risk management.
In the refining segment, Petrobras continues to strengthen domestic processing capacity through a massive investment at the Abreu e Lima Refinery (“RNEST”), located in Pernambuco. In June 2025, PBR signed three key contracts with Consag Engenharia to finalize the much-anticipated Train 2 project at RNEST. The contracts are collectively valued at 4.9 billion reais (approximately $892 million).
Train 2 will significantly increase RNEST’s processing capacity, helping Brazil reduce its dependence on imported refined products. Once operational, it will enable the refinery to process more than 260,000 barrels per day (bpd), enhancing national energy security and promoting greater efficiency in fuel distribution across northeastern Brazil.
This expansion is part of Petrobras’ broader downstream strategy, which aims to modernize Brazil’s refining infrastructure, improve product quality standards and reduce carbon emissions from fuel production. By leveraging Consag Engenharia’s proven engineering and construction capabilities, Petrobras is accelerating progress on a critical infrastructure component that has faced historical delays.
These awards collectively reflect Petrobras' strategic commitment to advancing its offshore and subsea capabilities. With deepwater fields like the pre-salt basin continuing to drive production growth, reliable vessel support, cutting-edge subsea monitoring and integrated refining assets are critical to the company’s long-term success.
The collaboration with DOF Group ensures that Petrobras has uninterrupted access to specialized maritime vessels that can operate in Brazil’s challenging offshore environments. The subsea monitoring capabilities provided by Fugro will enhance real-time operational awareness and enable quicker response times in case of anomalies, improving safety outcomes and system resilience.
Furthermore, the expansion of RNEST through contracts with Consag Engenharia highlights a parallel emphasis on upgrading onshore refining capacity. Together, these developments represent a synchronized effort across upstream and downstream segments to elevate Petrobras’ operational ecosystem.
As Petrobras continues to award transformative contracts across the value chain, it remains focused on balancing energy security, profitability and environmental responsibility. The company’s 2025-2029 strategic plan includes a bold commitment to capital investment in exploration and production, alongside growing investments in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies.
The recent contracts reinforce Petrobras’ belief in the long-term value of Brazil’s offshore resources and the necessity of advanced engineering solutions in optimizing these assets. From subsea monitoring to refining throughput, each investment aligns with its goal to lead Brazil’s energy transition while maintaining a dominant role in global offshore operations.
Through targeted partnerships and large-scale infrastructure projects, Petrobras is not only maintaining but also amplifying its leadership position in the global oil and gas sector.
Currently, PBR has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Investors interested in the energy sector might look at some better-ranked stocks like Subsea 7 SUBCY, which sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Oceaneering International OII and RGC Resources RGCO, each holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Subsea 7 is valued at $5.65 billion. The company is a global leader in delivering offshore projects and services for the energy industry, specializing in subsea engineering, construction and installation. Headquartered in Luxembourg, Subsea 7 supports both the oil & gas and renewable energy sectors with integrated solutions, including subsea infrastructure, heavy lifting and life-of-field services.
Oceaneering International, valued at $2.14 billion, delivers engineered services, products and robotic solutions to the offshore energy, defense, aerospace, manufacturing and entertainment sectors globally. Its portfolio includes remotely operated vehicles, subsea hardware, pipeline inspection and repair, diving services and digital technologies. The company operates across multiple segments and supports U.S. government defense and space initiatives.
RGC Resources is valued at $235.52 million. RGCO is an energy services company based in Roanoke, VA, specializing in the sale and distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Through its subsidiaries, the company operates an extensive pipeline network and a liquefied natural gas storage facility and engages in biogas production.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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