Vale Inks Five-year Deal with Wilson Sons for Vessel Maintenance

Vale has signed a five-year contract with Brazil's Wilson Sons covering scheduled maintenance for seven of its vessels.

Under the contract, scheduled maintenance will be carried out on Vale’s five tugboats and two ferryboats operating in Rio de Janeiro, at Wilson Sonss shipyards in Guarujá, Port of Santos.

Operating on all five continents, Vale produces iron ore, pellets and nickel, and its vessels in Brazil provide port support, assisting the docking and undocking of ships at the Guaíba Island Terminal (TIG), in Mangaratiba, and at the Companhia Portuária Baía de Sepetiba (CPBS) terminal, in Itaguaí, both operated by the company on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro. These ships carry iron ore from Minas Gerais, which is then exported mainly to China.

The work to be carried out on Vale's tugs and ferryboats includes treating and painting hulls and tanks, cleaning tanks, structural repairs, disassembly and valve testing. Wilson Sons said the scheduled maintenance program will deliver 67% savings in fuel for the mining company.

Tugboat Guaíba is the first of seven vessels to be docked under the contract, with work commencing on July 18.  After Guaíba, by the end of the year, another Vale vessel should be docked. The contract also includes the docking of the tugboats Moatize, Mutuca, Alegria and Fazendão and the ferryboats Vale Mangaratiba and Vale Sahi.