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Jon Harald Kilde first came to Brazil in 1988 to work for Petrobras through Bras- nord. Thereafter he returned a few times on business trips, but only moved again to Brazil in 1999. Over the years he has built a good and lasting business rela- tionship with Petrobras executives, also learning how to do business in Brazil, having experienced various phases of growth in the Brazilian O&G market. In 2008 he returned to live in Brazil in order to negotiate contracts for BW Offshore and set up the company´s main office in the country. According to Kilde, “Only one month after opening the Rio de Janeiro office, we were awarded the contract operate the FPSO BW Cidade de São Vicente (BW CdSV) at the Tupi (now re-named Lula) pre-salt field by Petrobras, it was a very good start.” The FPSO will operate as a long term testing facility for the pre-salt reservoirs, starting with the TUPI cluster and changing location annually. The fact that BW Offshore was capable of delivering the BW CdSV in a record time of 11 months permitted Petrobras to fulfill its promise to the Brazilian gov- ernment of producing oil from the pre- salt reservoirs within one year. This accomplishment placed BW Offshore in a position for future contracts with Petro- bras, as a prefered FPSO supplier. The importance of the first oil in Tupi on May 1, 2009 to the Brazilian government, was illustrated by the enthusiastic celebration led by then Brazilian President Luis Ina- cio “Lula” da Silva and highlights the im- portance given to the pre-salt discoveries throughout Brazil.“The customer rela- tionship with Petrobras is excellent, which helps in the pursuit of further proj- ects in and outside Brazil” says Kilde. He also emphasized the importance given by Petrobras to continuity, especially con- cerning the executives with whom they have contact and negotiate. Could you tell us what changes have occurred in BW Offshore since mid 2010? The main changes were the sale of our technology research division APL to Na- tional Oilwell Varco and our buy out of our direct competitor, Prosafe. 38 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News FEATURE OFFSHORE ANNUAL Most Advanced FPSOs in Brazil • The Only FPSOs in GOM BW Offshore FPSO Cidade de São Vicente deck machinery. (Photo Petr obras) The abundance of deepwater O&G prospects, combined with the lack of oil transportation infrastructure in Brazil, has increasingly favored FPSOs as a production solution. Petrobras presently has more than 25 FPSOs in operation and this number is expected to double dur- ing the next decade. BW Offshore is a leader in FPSOs and FPSO operations. Although it has been quoting for jobs in Brazil for some years, the company finally estab- lished a local office in 2008. BW Offshore currently has three FPSOs operating in the Brazilian offshore and has another one slated to be delivered by the end of the year. The Rio de Janeiro office is headed by General Manager Jon Harald Kilde M.S.c., who shared with Maritime Reporter the company’s strategy and outlook. by Claudio Paschoa
