The question of “What’s next?” is ever-present at Nor-Shipping. In 2011, Brazil shone brightly, but will it shine on José Sergio Gabrielli, then CEO of Petrobras, stole the show at the Agenda Offshore conference last year.
Confirming Brazil’s status as the world’s fastest growing offshore market, Gabrielli announced that Petrobras needed 53 rigs and 568 vessels by 2020.
Business ties between Brazil and other maritime nations have continued to expand since Nor-Shipping 2011, especially within shipping and offshore. Commercial players have acquired stakes in Brazilian companies, opened offices and gained contracts with Petrobras or other Brazilian partners in 2012.
Petrobras itself, led by new CEO Maria das Graças Foster, aims to increase its exploration and production operations in 2012, with twelve more drilling rigs being deployed. This is good news for the international maritime community.
Norway was described as “the poster child” for how Brazil will develop its offshore oil and gas at Nor-Shipping 2011. And Brazil is clearly keen to leverage the expertise and technology of Norway and other “new frontier” maritime nations in its deep-water fields.
The governments of maritime nations also demonstrate a growing interest in strengthening ties with Brazil. Norway and Sweden both unveiled strategic plans for increasing their business partnerships with Brazil in 2011.
So Brazil looks likely to remain in focus when Nor-Shipping reconvenes in 2013. However, things are changing quickly. Brazil has already been joined in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) group of “economic comet” states by South Africa. Some suggest that shipping should look to Africa for the hot markets of the future, others predict the rise of Australia.