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November 2010 www.marinelink.com 65 Mr. Ricardo Lutz da Cunha e Menezes, Commercial Di- rector and Naval Architect for Atlântico Sul Shipyard, who works from their office in Rio de Janeiro, has been with the project since its conception and was actually present when the original site foundation preparation and set-up work began. He has strong professional and emotional ties with the project and was kind enough to give us his unique insight into all aspects of the Atlântico Sul Shipyard proj- ect, including infrastructure, commercial goals, environ- mental concerns and social endeavors related to the shipyard project. “One of the good things in the shipyard is the two 1,500 tons goliath cranes. Only two shipyards in Asia have these cranes, even the Samsung yard in Asia doesn´t have them”, said Menezes. Atlântico Sul Shipyard is committed to their sustainable development programs. The range of programs includes, environmental management, solid waste management, toxic effluent testing and management, rating of nektonic organism survival, superficial and subterranean water qual- ity monitoring, tracking of the biotic environment at the Tatuoca River estuary, environmental education programs and a archeological preservation program in the shipyard area. “Atlântico Sul Shipyard has a commitment to an en- vironmentally friendly development program” said Menezes. Atlântico Sul Shipyard highly values and looks after its human capital, and in order to ensure productivity in con- tinuously increasing levels and to keep a workforce that values competence, encourages self-development as well as increasing their living standards, the company is in- vesting in training a local workforce in basic specialized skills needed in different areas of the shipyard production line. In line with the best company practices, the shipyard also offers its employees a range of benefits, extensive to their families, apart from in-company programs, with the objective of providing increased safety and well-being to all workers. “Atlântico Sul Shipyard has a strong commitment in transforming the social reality of Brazil, particularly that of the Northeast and the State of Pernambuco,” said Menezes. This commitment starts with the creation of 5,000 direct and 25,000 indirect job posts that will have an enormous impact on the labor market in the metropolitan area of Re- cife, one of the regions with the greatest growth in the Northeast. Residents of the five municipalities in the vicin- ity of the Suape Complex, namely, Ipojuca, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Moreno and Escada, have been benefiting with opportunities and income through the 2,800 direct jobs created by the shipyard. In order to guarantee better housing conditions for its “This financing consolidates the backing given by BNDES to the reinvigoration of the Brazilian shipbuilding industry. Such backing guarantees EAS the continuity of its production” • Angelo Bellelis, President of EAS
