Jair Bolsonaro participates in the launch of a Brazilian submarine | New

The first lady, Marcela Temer, was chosen to be the godmother of the last Brazilian ship. Baptism kept the tradition: a quick greeting – "God bless this submarine and all the sailors who sail here," declared Marcela – and the broken champagne bottle.

Riachuelo is the first of a series of five submarines built for the Brazilian Navy in partnership with France. He and the next three will be conventional diesel-powered technologies. The fifth, due out in 2029, will be a nuclear-powered submarine.

The submarine program costs 35 billion rand. "When you talk about $ 35 billion, that's a lot, but $ 35 billion over 20 years brings you about $ 300 million or $ 400 million a year." the value of Brazil's gross domestic product, the value of the Brazilian budget and Brazil's maritime interests.We have a lot to defend at sea, "said Navy Commander Leal Ferreira.

According to the Navy, they will help protect the so-called Amazon Blue, an area of ​​4.5 million square kilometers, endowed with one of the greatest biodiversity on the planet, where 95% of Brazilian foreign trade circulates and where they are. 90% of the national oil.

President Michel Temer and President-elect Jair Bolsonaro attended the ceremony.

In a speech, President Temer said that Brazil is peaceful and that it builds submarines in order to have an instrument of defense of sovereignty and maritime wealth. After the baptism, the two presidents fired together the equipment that transported the submarine to the sea. In 30 minutes, the Riachuelo floated for the first time.