Bright new horizons

Brazil conjures images of dancing, music and beaches. But lying hundreds of kilometres offshore from Rio de Janeiro are some of the world’s most potent offshore oil and gas fields, the Campos and Santos basins. The upswing in offshore oil and gas, and the new technology for deep water and ultra-deep-water exploration, promises boom times for Brazil. It’s an opportunity that Kongsberg Maritime Brazil has spent years preparing for.

Kongsberg Maritime’s office and workshop are in Niterói, just a few kilometres across the bay from downtown Rio. Niterói is the heart of the offshore oil and gas maritime services industry. Set amidst numerous shipyards and anchored offshore vessels, the Kongsberg Maritime team is ready to support the renewed focus on offshore energy.  

Kongsberg Maritime Brazil was formally established in 2009. However, it is over the past three years that the operation has grown rapidly thanks to a core team that has supercharged operations. 

Preparing for the future

In 2022, new Brazil Country Manager Cristiane de Lamare decided to ramp up her office’s operations to meet growing demand for offshore vessel support. 
“We decided that we needed to do something dramatic,” says the ebullient Cristiane, an economist by training. Along with George Bunker, Regional Quality Americas & Operational Excellence Brazil, and Jorge Vicente, Workshop and Warehouse Manager, she initiated a complete overhaul of operations, starting with a total renovation of the workshop area.

Jorge, a constant presence on the shop floor, set high standards for protocols and procedures, even introducing a QR-code tagging system for approximately 15,000 tools and pieces of equipment. “We’ve taken other workshop managers just to look at what he’s doing and encourage them to do the same,” says Tony Cove, who is in charge of Kongsberg Maritime workshops worldwide.

In addition, two new labs have been built using containers. These are focused on automation and control, as well as for offshore drilling operations such as riser management. Training facilities have been upgraded and certified by the Nautical Institute and DNV.

Kongsberg Maritime Brazil’s quayside currently operates with water taxis and shallow draught barges, but it can be further developed to receive other vessel types, and the team expects dredging to take place soon. 

Capitalising on offshore energy

The Brazil team’s relentless focus on quality and efficiency is paying dividends. In January this year, Petrobras announced a collaboration with Compagnie Maritime Monégasque (CMM) on six, 92-metre hybrid oil spill response vessels featuring Kongsberg Maritime ship design and equipment. CMM Chief Executive Christophe Vancauwenbergh cited Kongsberg Maritime’s expertise and long-standing presence in Brazil was “critical to the success” of the bid.

Cristiane says Kongsberg Maritime is “on the list” of preferred suppliers to Petrobras. “We have very good dialogue with Petrobras and this gives us opportunities in the majority of the oil and gas market in Brazil.” 
Petrobras is planning to contract several FPSOs that require supporting tonnage, such as shuttle tankers, platform supply vessels, anchor handling vessels and ROV support vessels (RSVs).

The team is excited for what lies ahead, expecting future growth and increased operations, and in deeper waters and more challenging than before.
Offshore oil and gas may be the mainstay, but there are plenty of other opportunities. There is a need for pusher tugs and inland waterway vessels to explore and develop Brazil’s enormous river basins, including the Amazon. Meanwhile, the team has also been winning new contracts to support a growing Brazilian Navy. Cristiane even suggests that shipbuilding activity is starting to come back to Brazil from Asia.

Finally, offshore wind is a huge growth area that Cristiane says will probably start in the next couple of years. In January 2025, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a bill authorising the development of offshore wind farms. A 2024 DNV report found that Brazil’s offshore wind energy potential exceeds 1,200 GW, comparable to that of Norway.

Getting Brazil’s fleet of offshore vessels up and running will be a massive task. After years of preparation, the Kongsberg Maritime team is ready to make it happen.