Indústria Naval do Ceará
Indústria Naval do Ceará (INACE) is a shipbuilding company based in Fortaleza, Brazil.
INACE was founded by Gil Bezerra in 1969 and produces yachts, fishing and military vessels.
INACE has been building and repairing ships since the 1960s when the shipyard was established. The company is a middle-sized shipyard leader in steel and aluminum luxury yacht construction and uniquely, a private shipyard building warships in Brazil.
The company was the first aluminum shipbuilding yard in Brazil, and over 15 years became number one in Latin America in tonnage processed.
During all this time, INACE constructed, converted or repaired over 1,000 ships, including fishing boats, tugs, pushers, barges, offshore support vessels, luxury yachts and patrol crafts, and continued building even in the 1990s when the Brazilian naval industry experienced a crisis. This led to luxury yacht construction and military ship construction.
To achieve Navy and luxury yacht standards, INACE invested in advanced computer aided design capabilities (CAD) and computer systems to support ship production, as well as in production equipment and tooling.
As of 2012, INACE is building one 45 ton Patrol Boat for the Brazilian Navy, three 93 ft yachts, one 68 ft yacht, one 65 ft yacht and one 43 ft yacht.
American market
In 1987, the company entered the American market with the first of a six yacht series. After this, more than fifteen luxury yachts were delivered to USA, Canada and Europe, including the “Joana II” owned by the famous Formula 1 and Formula Indy world champion Emerson Fittipaldi. INACE also and exported to US two 65 ft Buccaneer Class yachts.
The relationship between INACE and the Brazilian Navy is effective and close since the company was founded. In 1996, the company has been contracted to build two patrol craft of 240 ton, delivering the first ship (“Guanabara”) in July 1999 and the second (“Guarujá”) in November 1999. The Brazilian Navy acquired 12 ships at the same project, including the 6 constructed in Germany, and these two units made by INACE become the faster in their class.