Brazil will remain an attractive location for the UK’s subsea sector despite the Zika virus outbreak and the Petrobras corruption scandal, an independent consultant from the South American country said yesterday.
Daniella Carneiro was speaking on the sidelines of Subsea Expo in Aberdeen, where a new initiative was launched to improve links between UK and Brazilian subsea firms.
Ms Carneiro, a London-based director of Chartham Consulting, said UK Trade and Investment and the Brazilian Science and Technology Ministry had produced a catalogue which lays out information about subsea firms from both countries.
Ms Carneiro, a joint ventures and partnerships expert with more than 15 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, said it would be used to help companies decide who to pair up with.
Brazil has proved an attractive proposition for UK companies who bring new technology and innovation to its shores, where exploration and drilling conditions are difficult.
But there are fears that recent developments in Brazil might stem the tide.
Zika has spread rapidly throughout Brazil and has been linked to about 4,000 cases of microcephaly, babies being born with abnormally small heads.
Asked whether she thinks Zika will affect the way people approach doing business with Brazil, Ms Carneiro said: “My gut feeling is that it won’t, in the long term, at least. People have concerns about it and are worried but a year or so ago everyone was worried about Ebola.
“We live in a globalized world – people and germs travel and the issue becomes a global issue. Zika did not start in Brazil. It’s not originally from there and I think it is part of a wider globalisation issue.
“People know to take precautions when they go somewhere tropical but I don’t think there will be a correlation between business opportunities (worsening or improving) and the presence of Zika.”
Meanwhile, more than 100 people have been arrested as part of a two-year bribery and corruption investigation, including politicians and former executives at state-owned oil giant Petrobras.
On the scandal, Ms Carneiro said: “It’s clear that Brazil has found an issue and is dealing with it. It’s good that it has been dealt with in an open and straightforward manner. I think good things will come out of it.
“Speaking as a Brazilian, I’m 45 now and have lived in lots of different countries – I’ve seen a lot happen in the world.
“I’ve seen a constant change towards transparency and a better business environment in Brazil. Brazilian society does not accept corruption. Brazil has an issue but society in Brazil demands transparency and accountability. Impunity cannot be put up with in Brazil and that can only be good.
“There is a very positive story in Brazil despite the challenges.”