Brazil opens bid to rebuild Antarctic base

International companies and consortia are invited to bid for the reconstruction of the Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Base, destroyed by a fire in 2012. The invitation to bid will be published by the Interministerial Commission on Sea Resources on Wednesday (July 23).

The project is expected to begin during the Antarctic summer (which extends from October 2014 to March 2015), ending in March 2016, at a total cost of up to $ 110.5 million.

According to the secretary of the committee, Rear Adm. Marcos Silva Rodrigues, Hyundai (Korea) and Kaefer (Germany) have shown an interest. Other potential bidders include Chinese and UK companies, as well as consortia from Spain, Chile, and Monaco, along with some Brazilian companies.

Bidders will have to provide proof of technical qualification – civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, among others – and financial robustness to meet the costs. The winner will be awarded a contract on a lowest price basis, and will have to take care of logistics. Bidders will have 45 days as of Saturday (26) to submit proposals and sign the construction contract. On September 10, the envelopes with the proposals will be opened.

The Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Base began its operations in 1984 on Keller Peninsula, Admiralty Bay, on King George Island, with a capacity for 64 people. After the fire, an Antarctic Emergency Module was build to allow it to continue its operations.

A tender was held in January 2014 targeted at Brazilian contractors only, but there were no bidders.

Rodrigues explained that the new station is going to be more comfortable and spacious. It will consist of 14 laboratories inside the station and four outside – the old facilities had a total eight. “We have exhaustively heard all researchers, institutions, and research institutes working in Antarctica so we can serve the entire scientific community. We'd also like a distinctively Brazilian project, with hangout areas and other features.”

Translated by Mayra Borges