The Brazilian Navy’s School Ship will take products made by Brazilian defense industries to nine international ports.
The itinerary includes the following countries: Puerto Rico, the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal.
The project became viable through an agreement signed between the Brazilian Association of Defense Industries (Abimde) and the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (APEX-Brasil).
The Navy is allowing the companies to use the structure of the School Ship to display their products during the vessel’s regular five-month voyage.
According to the executive director of APEX-Brasil, “the Brazilian military attaché in the country where the ship docks will invite other foreign military attachés to become acquainted with the defense products the ship is transporting.”
Smaller items, such as revolvers and cartridges, will be exhibited. Products such as aircraft and armored vehicles will be presented through promotional material.
The president of the Abimde, Roberto Guimarães de Carvalho, said that the partnership with APEX is aimed at increasing the exports of the Brazilian defense industry.
“Our exportation currently stands at US$ 300 million per year, and we hope to return to the level of the decade of the 1980’s, when it was US$ 1.5 billion.”
The Abidme and APEX-Brasil will spend approximately US$ 94,000 (222,000 reais) to promote defense products this year. Brazil has around 300 manufacturers of defense items.
ABr – www.radiobras.gov.br