Itaguaí Construções Navais

Itaguaí Construções Navais S.A., commonly known as ICN, is a Brazilian state-controlled defence shipbuilding company based in Itaguaí, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Established on 21 August 2009, it was created in the context of Brazil’s naval modernization program and the strategic cooperation agreement between Brazil and France for the Submarine Development Program, known as PROSUB. The company’s principal role has been to receive and apply French submarine technology, construct submarines in Brazil, and support the development of domestic capabilities in naval engineering. ICN’s core industrial activity is the construction and maintenance of submarines for the Brazilian Navy. Its principal conventional-submarine program is the Riachuelo class, the Brazilian version of the French Scorpène design. The program covers four diesel-electric submarines: Riachuelo, Humaitá, Tonelero, and Angostura. The first boat was initially constructed through cooperation involving Naval Group facilities in Cherbourg, France, while components and technology were progressively transferred to Brazil. Parts for the first submarine began arriving in Brazil in 2012, and Brazilian construction and integration responsibilities expanded during the following years. Construction of Humaitá began in 2013, followed by Tonelero in 2017 and Angostura in 2018. The company is also a central industrial participant in Brazil’s ambition to develop a nuclear-powered submarine. Under the wider PROSUB framework, ICN is expected to support the construction of the Álvaro Alberto, the first Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine. The program includes technical assistance related to the submarine hull and the development of Brazilian naval nuclear-engineering capabilities. The planned nuclear-submarine project is distinct from the conventionally powered Riachuelo-class boats and represents a longer-term strategic and technological objective for Brazil. ICN operates at the Madeira Island Submarine Base complex in Itaguaí. The base was inaugurated in 2020 by ICN and the Brazilian Navy and serves as an industrial and operational center for submarine construction, maintenance, inspections, and related naval activities. It also supports work connected with Brazil’s future nuclear-submarine fleet and can accommodate other Navy vessels, including Type 209 submarines undergoing modernization or inspection. The company’s ownership structure combines Brazilian state control with French industrial participation. EMGEPRON, a Brazilian state-owned company responsible for managing naval projects, holds 59 percent of ICN, while Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS, holds 41 percent. This arrangement reflects the company’s dual purpose: to deliver strategic capabilities for Brazil’s Navy and to absorb, adapt, and institutionalize foreign technology within Brazil’s naval-industrial base. ICN has been described as the only company in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere with the capability to design, construct, and maintain both diesel-electric and nuclear submarines, although the nuclear capability remains associated with an ongoing development program rather than a completed operational submarine. The company employs nearly 2,000 people according to the cited reference material.

Itaguaí Construções Navais was founded on 21 August 2009 as part of Brazil’s effort to modernize its naval forces and establish a stronger domestic submarine-building industry. Its creation followed cooperation agreements signed by Brazil and France during the presidencies of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Nicolas Sarkozy. The agreements provided for French technical assistance, technology transfer, and the construction in Brazil of four conventionally powered submarines based on the Scorpène design. They also established a framework for assisting Brazil with the hull development and industrial preparation associated with its planned nuclear-powered submarine, Álvaro Alberto. ICN’s early operations centered on absorbing the technology supplied by DCNS, now Naval Group. In 2009, the first Brazilian training group travelled to France and consisted of 31 engineers, 25 naval officers, and six civilian employees. The group received theoretical instruction and technical exposure intended to support the future Brazilian production line. In parallel, construction began on the first submarine of the Brazilian program, later named Riachuelo, at Naval Group’s facilities in Cherbourg. This arrangement allowed Brazil to gain experience while the Itaguaí industrial complex was being developed. The first submarine components arrived in Brazil in 2012 for integration with parts manufactured or assembled by ICN in Itaguaí. By 2013, Brazilian personnel and facilities had assumed a greater share of construction and integration work, demonstrated by the start of construction of Humaitá, the program’s second boat. Tonelero followed in 2017 and Angostura in 2018. Together, these four boats form the Riachuelo class, Brazil’s Scorpène-derived conventional submarine fleet under PROSUB. A major institutional milestone occurred in 2020, when ICN and the Brazilian Navy inaugurated the Madeira Island Submarine Base. The complex was designed to support the continued construction and maintenance of the conventional submarines and to serve as an industrial and operational foundation for Brazil’s future nuclear-submarine force. The site also supports inspections and modernization work involving other Brazilian Navy submarines, including Type 209 vessels. ICN’s strategic importance extends beyond the delivery of individual submarines. The company is intended to preserve and expand Brazilian expertise in submarine design, construction, maintenance, and naval nuclear engineering. Its nuclear-submarine role concerns the Álvaro Alberto project, which is planned as Brazil’s first nuclear-powered submarine and is expected to require long-term technological, industrial, and organizational development. The program is separate from the diesel-electric Riachuelo-class construction line but benefits from the infrastructure and capabilities created through PROSUB. The company is controlled by Brazil through EMGEPRON, which owns 59 percent, while Naval Group holds 41 percent. This ownership model combines Brazilian public-sector control with French industrial participation. It also reflects the original purpose of the enterprise: to execute a strategic national defence program while using international cooperation to accelerate technology acquisition and local industrial development. ICN has been described as the only company in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere able to design, build, and maintain both diesel-electric and nuclear submarines. According to the cited reference material, it employs nearly 2,000 people.

1. 2020Madeira Island Submarine Base opens

   ICN and the Brazilian Navy inaugurated the Itaguaí submarine base and industrial complex.

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2. 2018Angostura construction begins

   Construction of the fourth Riachuelo-class submarine began at Itaguaí.

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3. 2017Tonelero construction begins

   ICN began construction of the third Riachuelo-class submarine.

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4. 2013Humaitá construction begins

   Construction of the second Riachuelo-class submarine began as Brazilian industrial responsibility expanded.

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5. 2012First submarine components arrive in Brazil

   Components for the first submarine were transferred from France to Brazil for integration at Itaguaí.

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6. 2009ICN founded

   Itaguaí Construções Navais was established on 21 August 2009 to support Brazil’s naval modernization program and PROSUB.

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7. 2009French technology-transfer and submarine program launched

   Brazil and France initiated cooperation covering four conventional submarines and technical assistance for Brazil’s planned nuclear submarine.

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Strategic Brazilian defence contractor and naval shipbuilder focused on submarine construction, technology transfer, and domestic naval-industrial capability.

• Riachuelo-class submarinesDiesel-electric submarines2009

  The Riachuelo class is Brazil’s locally constructed adaptation of the French Scorpène submarine design. The program comprises four diesel-electric boats: Riachuelo, Humaitá, Tonelero, and Angostura. ICN’s role includes Brazilian construction, integration, and associated industrial work, supported by technology transfer and technical cooperation with Naval Group.

• Álvaro Alberto-class submarineNuclear-powered attack submarine

  The Álvaro Alberto project is Brazil’s planned first nuclear-powered submarine and the principal long-term nuclear-submarine program associated with ICN. The company is expected to contribute to construction and industrial capability development, including work linked to the submarine hull and naval nuclear engineering. The project remains a development and construction program rather than an operational product line.

• Submarine maintenance and modernizationNaval support services2020

  ICN’s Itaguaí facilities support submarine inspections, maintenance, and modernization in cooperation with the Brazilian Navy. The Madeira Island complex can also serve other Navy submarines, including Type 209 boats, alongside the construction of new vessels.

• 2020Open the Madeira Island Submarine BaseStrategy

  Brazil required a dedicated industrial and operational complex for submarine construction, maintenance, and future nuclear-submarine activities.

  What changed. ICN and the Brazilian Navy inaugurated the Madeira Island Submarine Base in Itaguaí.

  Aftermath. The facility became a central location for submarine construction, inspections, modernization, and the planned nuclear-submarine fleet.

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• 2009Create a Brazilian-French submarine industrial platformStrategy

  Brazil sought to modernize its Navy, obtain submarine technology, and develop a domestic naval-industrial base through cooperation with France.

  What changed. ICN was established with Brazilian state control and Naval Group participation to receive technology and construct four conventional submarines in Brazil.

  Aftermath. The arrangement created the industrial foundation for the Riachuelo-class program and contributed to Brazil’s longer-term nuclear-submarine ambitions.

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• 2020Madeira Island Submarine Base inaugurated

  ICN and the Brazilian Navy inaugurated the Madeira Island Submarine Base in Itaguaí as a center for construction, maintenance, inspection, and future nuclear-submarine activities.

  Product launch
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• 2018Construction of Angostura begins

  Construction of Angostura, the fourth submarine in the Riachuelo-class program, began in Brazil.

  Product generation
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• 2017Construction of Tonelero begins

  ICN began construction of Tonelero, the third Riachuelo-class submarine.

  Product generation
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• 2013Construction of Humaitá begins

  Construction of the second Riachuelo-class submarine, Humaitá, began as Brazilian responsibility for construction and integration expanded.

  Product generation
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• 2012Submarine components transferred to Brazil

  Initial submarine components were transferred from France to Brazil for integration with structures and components produced by ICN in Itaguaí.

  Product generation
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• 2009ICN established for Brazil-France submarine cooperation

  Brazil and France established the industrial framework that led to ICN’s creation and the transfer of French submarine technology for Brazil’s PROSUB program.

  M&A
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• 2009Brazil begins construction of the first Riachuelo-class submarine

  Construction of the first Brazilian Scorpène-derived submarine, later named Riachuelo, began in cooperation with Naval Group in France.

  Product launchProduct generation
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1. Itaguaí Construções Navais