13 November 2024 - 02
On November 13, the Brazilian Navy (MB) and the Special Purpose Company (SPE) Águas Azuis carried out the first steel plate cute of Frigate “Cunha Moreira” (F202), the third of the four vessels predicted on Programa Fragatas Classe Tamandaré (PFCT). The event was held in thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul (tkEBS), in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. The name of the ship is a tribute to the Admiral Luis da Cunha Moreira, Cabo Frio Viscount, first native Brazilian to be in the role of Minister of the Brazilian Navy. He has fought in the Napoleonic wars and was present in the French Guiana conquer. He was one of the responsible for the first Brazil Squadron formation and had a crucial role in the consolidation process of Brazilian political independence.
With the cut of the first steel plate of F202, the Brazilian Navy initiates a new era in the modernization of the naval fleet. It is the first time the three Frigates are built, at the same time, in Brazilian territory, with high indexes of local content. The first vessel, the Tamandaré Frigate (F200), has already passed through the launching ceremony, in August this year, and it is in the harbor tests phase. On the other hand, the keel laying of the Frigate “Jerônimo de Albuquerque” (F201) was held in June 2024 and the prediction is that it is launched to the sea in August 2025. The expectation is that around 23 thousand jobs (2 thousand direct, 6 thousand indirect and 15 thousand induced) are generated during the construction of the Fragatas Classe Tamandaré.
PFCT is included in the New Program of Growing Acceleration, the New PAC, from the Federal Government, in the axis of Innovation for the industry of Defense, which guarantees more investments and allows the nationalization of advanced systems, training Brazilian companies in the production, maintenance and modernization of the resources employed throughout the life cycle of the ships.
About the event
The 1st plate cut marks the beginning of the construction of a new ship. This event is symbolic, because it represents the transition from the project and planning phase to manufacturing phase.
In order to achieve this milestone, the detailed project of the vessel must be complete and approved, ensuring that all the aspects of engineering, planning and logistics are ready for production. From this moment, the resources start to be applied in an intensive way, and the schedule of construction gains a new dynamic, with more emphasis in the quality control and production efficiency.
Participants of the event included the Management Director of the Navy Programs, Rear Admiral Marcelo da Silva Gomes; Navy’s Civil Work Director, Rear Admiral Pedro Lima Silva Filho; the Executive Director of thyssenkrupp Estaleiro Brasil Sul, Holger Tepper; the President-director of the Special Purpose Company Águas Azuis, Fernando Queiroz; and the General Coordinator of Strategic Programs of Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais (EMGEPRON), Vice Admiral Antônio Reginaldo Pontes Lima Junior. The management Director of Navy Programs was responsible for activating the device that symbolized the cut of the first plate.
The Frigate “Cunha Moreira” may achieve the speed of 25 knots, which is equivalent to around 47 km/h. The prediction is that the third Frigate of Classe Tamandaré is launched in 2026 and incorporated to the Brazilian Navy in 2028.
Technical information of Fragata “Cunha Moreira”:
Length: 107.2m
Opening: 15.95m
Point (Height): 20.2m
Displacement: 3,380 tons
Autonomy: 5,500 nautic miles
About the Programa Fragatas Classe Tamandaré (PFCT)
PFCT is a partnership between MB and SPE Águas Azuis, formed by the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defesa e Segurança and Atech, and managed by EMGEPRON. The signature of the contract was carried out in March 2020.
The ships will be equipped with flight deck, hangar for helicopter, radars, sensors and cutting-edge weaponry.
The program predicts the handling and manufacturing transfer of technology of the ships from steel plates with low thickness, in addition to the production in blocks to be built later. Thus, it is possible to install accessories and foundations in an anticipated way, not only facilitating the equipment placement on board but also allowing works in various stages in a segregated way in each unit. In addition, PFCT works with paperless technology, which aims at totally digital development, eliminating paper in the production line, promoting the environmental preservation. The project predicts the life cycle management, that projects the investments since the construction until the environment undoing.
All the vessels will be produced in national territory, with high levels of local content and transfer of technology, that increment the national naval construction. By building the vessels in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, the Brazilian Navy allowed the reactivation of a shipyard that was out or order, rehiring professionals and generating more jobs and revenue to the region.
November 13, 2024.
