Wilson Sons UltraTug Offshore (WSUT) was the winner, for the second year in a row, of the “Petrobras Best Suppliers Award” in the Maritime Logistics category, a segment in which more than 40 companies operate in the Brazilian market. In its 7th edition, the Award recognizes suppliers that have a played relevant role in “deadline, management, quality, health, environment, safety and value generation performance”.

World class in safety, WSUT is a joint venture of Wilson Sons, a leader in port and maritime logistics in Brazil, with over 186 years of experience, and UltraTug (Chilean Ultranav group). With one of the largest and most modern fleets in Brazil, WSUT has maintained a partnership of over 20 years with Brazilian oil company Petrobras, and owns 22 vessels, flying the Brazilian flag, which are currently commissioned to support the oil and gas exploration and production activities of Petrobras and other oil companies.

“The award granted by Petrobras supports WSUT’s strategic commitment to operational excellence, the ongoing pursuit of high safety standards and the efficiency of our fleet, demonstrating the importance of Brazilian naval support for the development of the offshore energy industry and the country. It is also a recognition of the expertise of our team,” said Gustavo Machado, executive director of WSUT, who received the Petrobras Award accompanied by company executives at ROG.e 2024 (formerly Rio Oil & Gas).

(from left to right): managers Dayana Pimentel and Carlos Prado, executive director Gustavo Machado and managers Daniel Pereira, George Pryor and Márcia Valeria

Given the current scenario of high chartering demand for OSVs (Offshore Support Vessels), driven by significant investments and increasing volumes of oil and gas operations (exploration, development and production), the executive director of WSUT considers the prospects for the next five years to be “quite positive.”

“The offshore support industry, which is already in a very positive position, has a projected growth in demand that should be sustained for a significant period, with even greater potential for expansion when investments in operations on the Equatorial Margin and in the generation of offshore wind energy are unlocked,” said Gustavo Machado.

The Wilson Sons UltraTug Offshore fleet:

1 x LSV - RollsRoyce Design UT 755S (Lightering Support Vessel)

1 x OSRV – Damen Design (Diesel-Electric Propulsion System, DP1)

7 x PSVs 3000: Damen Design (Diesel-Electric propulsion system, 6 x DP2, one vessel to be converted into DP2 in 2025)

3 x PSVs 3500 – Focal Design (DP2, FIFI I, capacity for 45 people, safety-standby class notation)

8 x PSVs 4500 – Damen Design (Diesel-Electric propulsion system, DP2, Petrobras Multi-Purpose standard)

2 x PSVs 5000 – Damen Design (Diesel-Electric propulsion system, DP2, Petrobras General Cargo standard)

The 22 vessels are under contract.

To develop talent, WSUT, which currently employs around 900 people, constantly trains its teams, with continual development of safety culture as a top priority. In 2023 alone, it promoted 50,000 man-hours of training, and put recognition programs into place.