Brazil Govt Will Promote Recovery in Shipbuilding, Oil & Gas, President Lula Says
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday his government would promote recovery in the country's shipbuilding and oil and gas sectors, with more investment from state-run oil firm Petrobras SA and development bank BNDES. "Petrobras will return to invest here in Rio de Janeiro and the BNDES will invest more in the country's productive sectors," he said during the inauguration of a health facility in Rio de Janeiro state. (Reuters - Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Editing by Sarah Morland)
Brazil Agrees to Raise Level of the Parana River
Brazil has agreed to release water at the giant Itaipu hydroelectric dam to raise low water levels in the Parana River, a key thoroughfare for grains shipments, Argentina's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.Decade-low water levels on the Parana are forcing Argentine exporters to load less soy and other grains on ships bound largely for China, adding a new problem to a sector already beset by bottlenecks due to the coronavirus pandemic.The agreement with Brazil will allow for an additional 1,400 cubic meters of water flow to be added to the river, the ministry said in a statement.
Petrobras Begins Halting Operations of 62 Platforms
Brazil's state-owned oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA said on Wednesday it had begun suspending operations of 62 shallow water platforms in the Campos, Sergipe, Potiguar and Ceara basins.Petrobras, as the company is known, had previously announced the shutdowns, which amount to a production cut of 23,000 barrels of oil per day. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; writing by Jake Spring; editing by Chris Reese)
Brazil Isolates Cruise Ship After Suspected Coronavirus Case
A cruise ship with 609 people on board has been isolated in Brazil's northeastern port of Recife since Thursday morning after a passenger showed symptoms similar to those of the new coronavirus, according to the Department of Health in Pernambuco state.A 78-year-old Canadian man with fever, coughing and breathing difficulties was sent to a private hospital in the state capital Recife after disembarking.The remaining 318 passengers and 291 crew members will be kept in isolation…
SBM Offshore to Pay Additional Fines to Petrobras
SBM Offshore has reached a settlement to pay additional leniency fines of 200 million reais ($48.27 million) to Brazil's state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Brazilian prosecutors said on Wednesday.As a result of a long-running corruption investigation, the Dutch marine engineering group SBM has agreed to pay a total of 1.4 billion reais in fines and compensations for its role in the scandal.
Brazil Prosecutors Charge 12 in SBM Offshore Graft Scheme
Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday charged 12 people with a bribery scheme involving Dutch firm SBM Offshore NV, the world's top leaser of oil production ships, and state oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA . Police said they had four arrest orders as part of the scheme, dubbed "Operation Black Blood," though two of them involved suspects already in jail in the southern city of Curitiba, the epicenter of a broader investigation into price fixing and bribery on Petrobras contracts with engineering firms. Former Petrobras executives Pedro Barusco, Jorge Zelada and Renato Duque were charged with corruption along with former SBM sales agents Julio Faerman and Luis Eduardo Campos Barbosa da Silva, according to a statement from federal prosecutors.
Petrobras Chairman Ferreira to take Leave
Murilo Ferreira will take a leave of absence as chairman of state-run oil firm Petrobras, turning his full attention to his job as chief executive of Vale SA as the mining giant grapples with a downturn in the sector. Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, did not give a reason for Ferreira's leave, which it said would last until Nov. 30. A company source told Reuters he had requested time off to focus on Vale as it navigates a slump in iron ore prices and a slowdown in China.
Petrobras HQ Raided by Brazil Police
Brazil's Federal Police raided the headquarters of state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA in Rio de Janeiro as part of a money-laundering probe, two sources with direct knowledge of the operation told Reuters on Friday. However, they did not confirm if Petrobras was one of the locations raided. Portuguese for "Operation Car Wash," Operação Lava Jato has already resulted in the arrest of at least one former executive at Petrobras, as the company is known. Petrobras officials were not immediately available for comment.
