Speech at visit to Aker Yards

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to express my gratitude to Aker Yards for inviting me to the shipyard here in Niteroi.

Brazil and Norway discovered oil at the same time, at the end of the 1960s.

Many of our experiences are the same.

Brazil has also developed an advanced offshore industry.

And have world leading competence in deep-sea drilling.

This has provided the basis for a number of important partnerships.

Norwegian ships like the Skandi Salvador are being built in Rio. Some of them are used in Brazilian waters. With Brazilian employees on board.

Norwegian drilling experts are exploring the Brazilian continental shelf together with Petrobras.

And when we combine Brazilian and Norwegian expertise, we can move the technological frontiers.

Aker Yards has been and is an important part of the Norwegian oil industry.

Now it is also an important part of the Brazilian offshore sector.

I was impressed by the tour of the yard, and the visit onboard Skandi Salvador. This is a fine example of what Aker Yards does best – building sophisticated ships.

Since the establishment of Aker Yards Promar in 2001, twenty-one state-of-the-art offshore vessels have been delivered.

Three even larger ships are currently being built, described as the most sophisticated ships ever to be built in Brazil.

I am very happy to see many of the Norwegian suppliers present here today.

During my tour, I saw cranes from National Oilwell, paint from Jotun, winches from Rolls Royce, positioning equipment from Kongsberg Maritime, design by Aker Yards, all from Norway. 

And the owner of the ship I have just been onboard – DOF – is Norwegian as well.

The Norwegian supply industry is a truly globalised industry.

And it reminds us that through international competition, new technology is born.

The cooperation between Norway and Brazil in the offshore sector is thriving.

I am confident that our relations will continue to grow and to flourish.

Thank you.