The brigade to brazil

Brazil has set its sights on the horizon. With a booming oil and gas industry showing no signs of slowing down, the country’s economy – already the biggest in Latin America – will soon become one of the most powerful in the world. And Petrobras, the energy giant behind it all, is counting on the services provider Wilson Sons for total support.

PSVs dot the water as far as the eye can see. The Brazilian coast is chaotic these days: oil production in the Campos, Santos and Espírito Santo basins is developing at lightning speed, thanks in part to the recent discovery of several ultra-deepwater mega-fields that have been estimated to hold as much as 50 billion barrels of oil – a bounty rivaling that of all the reserves in the entire North Sea.
The optimism is palpable. But such rapid industrial growth brings challenges too. Petrobras has 134 platforms and counting, and for that they need an army of PSVs – as it is, their fleet of more than 300 vessels can never rest. So right now, Wilson Sons is investing in more newbuilds at their Sao Paolo shipyard to help meet the demand.
Out on the water, the PSV Prion sets off loaded with drilling mud. Prion is one of Wilson Sons’ most modern vessels, but Captain Weberth Gomes De Morais anxious anyway. He always is at the start of these voyages. He thinks of his crew as a family – a brigade – and he wants to do whatever he can to keep them safe. But the potential for danger is constant – the platforms are virtual floating construction sites, and the ocean is unpredictable.
The crew has total faith in their captain though. He was on the first vessel Wilson Sons ever operated and has remained with the company for over a decade. In Brazil, where industry development can outpace the supply of a skilled workforce, experience such as his is worth a lot.
In fact, if there’s a word that defines this crew’s mindset, it’s trust – in their equipment, in their ship, and in one another. The hours are long and the work can be strenuous, but the crew would follow their captain into any battle. Together, they have confidence that they – like the rest of Brazil – will be able to meet whatever the future holds head-on.