On February 20th 2018, the President of the Federal Republic of Brazil, Michel Temer, participated to the transfer of the first Scorpene Brazilian Navy submarine to the main building of the construction site located in Itaguaí in the Sepetiba Bay. The three sections of the Scorpene submarine, the Riachuelo, have been presented to the Brazilian authorities.
The first Scorpene submarine for the Brazilian Navy. Picture: Naval Group.
The President of the Federal Republic of Brazil, Michel Temer, the Brazilian Defence Minister Raul Jungmann, the Chief of the Defence staff of the Brazilian Navy, the Admiral Leal Ferreira, along with senior French and Brazilian representatives and Naval Group’s CEO Hervé Guillou attended the official ceremony.
The transfer of the sections to the assembly building within Itaguai’s main site is an important step illustrating the success of the partnership between Brazil and Naval Group. The sections of the first Scorpene were built and pre-equipped in Itaguai by the Brazilian shipyard Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN), which is a subsidiary of Naval Group and Odebrecht. The transfer now allows the final assembly of the Scorpene submarine. The three sections will be welded before summer 2018. This is an important step in the construction of the first of the series, the Riachuelo, whose commissioning is scheduled for 2020. The three remaining submarines will be produced at an average rate of one per year.
The submarine Riachuelo was presented to the President of Brazil, Michel Temer. Picture: Naval Group.
Hervé Guillou says: "Naval Group is pleased to work alongside the Brazilian Navy and is proud of the successful transfer of technology achieved, which provides the country with state-of-the-art equipment made in Brazil. The capacity building of the Brazilian Navy will contribute to the crossing of a new stage in the regional and global influence of Brazil. "
Naval Group contributed to this project achieving technology transfers by providing the submarine blueprint, the inner equipment as well as technical assistance. ICN construction crews were also trained in submarine construction techniques. As part of a vast training plan for Brazilian welders, trainers, pipe fitters and electricians, one of the sections was built in 2013 at the Naval Group site in Cherbourg, France.
These trainings, as well as the technical assistance provided by Naval Group, enabled the Brazilian shipyard Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN), created as part of the PROSUB program, to Itaguai, February 20th 2018 master the production process in its entirety, from the forming of the metal sheets to the commissioning and testing of embedded systems. As of today, ICN represents 2,000 jobs in Brazil and over thirty Brazilian service providers participated in the supply of equipment and services.
This event demonstrates Naval Group's strong international presence and its ability to develop ambitious technology transfers within the framework of long-lasting international partnerships.
In addition to these four Scorpene-type submarines, ten other units designed and adapted by Naval Group for the export market are either in operational service or in ongoing realization in the world. There are currently two units ordered for the Chilean Navy, two units for the Malaysian Navy as well as six units for the Indian Navy.
