Operation of the facilities represents a significant increase in the capacity of naval maintenance by the Brazilian Navy and industrial advancement of the PROSUB
By Captain Lieutenant (T) Gisele Costa and First-Lieutenant (RM2-T) Cecília Paes – Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Last Monday (08), the Maintenance Yard (ESM) was handed over to the Industrial Directorate (DIM) at the Itaguaí Naval Complex. The ESM, delivered by the Navy’s Directorate-General of Nuclear and Technological Development (DGDNTM), represents a facility of great importance for the life cycle of the new “Riachuelo” class submarines and marks another industrial advance in the scope of the Submarine Program (PROSUB). A Maneuver Yard, for docking up to two submarines in a covered and uncovered area, and Pier number 11, with capacity for docking submarines and ships undergoing maintenance, were also delivered.
The infrastructure delivered to the material sector has mechanical, machining, piping, electromechanical, painting, hydraulic, and test room workshops. The facility is capable of inspecting, testing, repairing and performing maintenance on the equipment and systems of conventional diesel-electric submarines, as well as on the components and non-irradiated equipment sets of the Conventionally Armed Submarine with Nuclear Propulsion. The project will not only ensure support for the new submarines, but will also allow for logistical support to the Navy’s surface resources that will be maintained in Itaguaí (RJ).
The readiness of the Maintenance Yard, located in the city of Itaguaí, represents a milestone for the Naval Force and for the country as a whole – being an important step towards strengthening the Brazilian naval industry. Besides strengthening the national defense capability, the delivery represents an opportunity for business generation and technological development, which can boost economic growth in the region. The construction of the ESM had a significant participation in the generation of jobs in the civil construction sector and in the metal-mechanic industry, resulting in the generation of 2 thousand direct jobs and 10 thousand indirect jobs, contributing to the promotion of the economy, to the development of new technologies, and to the industrial growth.
Maintenance Yard
The industrial infrastructure of the ESM has a Support Workshop for Submarine Maintenance, with a total area of approximately 9,291 m², consisting of workshops, test rooms and warehouse. The Maneuvering Yard delivered has 8,360 m² for docking. Thus, the facilities represent a significant increase in the maintenance capacity of naval means in Brazil.
The structure also has specific tools, such as machining centers with latest-generation numerical control, valve test benches, equipment for maintenance and testing of electric motors and high-pressure air compressors, as well as facilities with radiological protection for non-destructive testing by gammagraphy and X-rays. The delivery of a test bench for hydraulic pumps and two clean rooms, with controlled atmosphere, for the maintenance of hydraulic components, with no risk of contamination, is planned for this year.
PROSUB
The Submarine Program (PROSUB) is part of a broad strategic state program, conceived in 2008 through the partnership established between Brazil and France. The PROSUB contemplates the construction of an industrial infrastructure and support to the operation and maintenance of means, the construction of four conventional submarines with diesel-electric propulsion and the design and construction of the first Brazilian conventionally armed submarine with nuclear propulsion.
The first of the four conventional submarines, the “Riachuelo”, is already in operation, delivered to the Navy in September 2022. Operational sea trials of the “Humaitá”, the second national submarine, have already begun, with delivery scheduled for the end of 2023, as well as the launching at sea of the third, the “Tonelero”. Recently, the Navy carried out the transfer of sections of the fourth submarine, the “Angostura”, from the Metallic Structures Manufacturing Unit to the Construction Yard, with forecast delivery by the end of 2025.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias