Oil Exports from Vitória: Company Has Pre-Contract with Petrobras and Talks with Shell

Blue Terminals, part of the Zmax Group, is moving full steam ahead to bring the Praia Mole Liquid Bulk Terminal (TGL) to life at Ponta de Tubarão. With an initial investment of R$340 million, the plan is to utilize the area—part of the Vports complex—primarily for oil exports. The terminal will carry out ship-to-ship operations, transferring oil from production vessels to the massive ships that transport crude oil around the world. The company is advancing on three main fronts: environmental licensing, finalizing the contract with Vports (still under negotiation), and securing clients. All three are progressing well.

On the commercial side, the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)—a type of pre-contract—with Petrobras and is in discussions with Shell. Together, these two companies account for over 70% of Brazil’s oil industry. Both are seeking infrastructure to handle growing production, which will be largely geared toward exports. This is a massive market with ample room for expansion. Currently, Brazil produces approximately 3.5 million barrels of oil per day, and by 2030, this is expected to increase to 5 million barrels per day. Last year, Brazil exported 52% of its production. Since production is set to grow far beyond domestic consumption, exports are the only viable path forward. “Whoever gets there first will drink cleaner water,” jokes a key executive in the sector.

With this in mind, investors are increasingly focusing on Espírito Santo, the third-largest oil producer in Brazil and strategically located near the rapidly growing pre-salt fields in the Campos and Santos basins. Porto Central, located in Presidente Kennedy, southern Espírito Santo, is scheduled to begin operations in 2027, starting with oil-related activities. The complex already has agreements in place with Petrobras, Equinor, and CNOOC. In the north of the state, Porto da Imetame has a contract with Transpetro.

Blue Terminals aims to start operations by the end of 2027, with a draft of 25 meters and an annual capacity of around 100 million barrels. In the coming weeks, the agreement with Vports is expected to be signed (currently, there is only a memorandum of understanding). The environmental licensing process with Iema is also progressing.

Source: A Gazeta

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