Brazil plans to eliminate visitor visas for Americans, the country's tourism minister said on Wednesday, as President Jair Bolsonaro seeks to turn around the lagging tourism sector and engineer cozier relations with the United States. The visa initiative is part of the Foreign Ministry's plan for the first 100 days in power of Bolsonaro, who assumed office on Jan. 1, Tourism Minister Marcelo Alvaro Antonio told Reuters in an interview. Bolsonaro won the presidency running on a right-wing populist platform and is an open admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump. He has sought to realign Brazil with the United States, unlike the leftist Workers Party government that favored relations with fellow developing economies.

Jan 17, 2019 - Bloomberg

South America’s two largest countries are more united than ever, Argentine President Mauricio Macri declared during an official visit to Brasilia that sought to reset relations with President Jair Bolsonaro after an awkward start. Warm speeches from both sides sought to leave behind the initial tension in their relationship. Macri’s absence from Bolsonaro’s inauguration on Jan. 1 did not go unnoticed by Brasilia, while Brazilian Finance Minister Paulo Guedes’ insistence that the Mercosur customs union was not one of his priorities also riled Argentine officials. But that appeared to be forgotten as the two presidents discussed boosting trade, fighting crime and nuclear energy.

Jan 17, 2019 - World Oil

Petrobras reports that in 2018, its total production of oil and gas, including natural gas liquids (NGL), was 2.63 MMboed, of which 2.53 MMboed produced in Brazil and 101,000 boed abroad. Petrobras’ own production of oil in Brazil was 2.03 MMbpd. The annual average of the company's total operated production (both Petrobras and partner’s share) in 2018 was 3.29 MMboed, of which 3.16 MMboed in Brazil. The production of oil and natural gas in 2018 is in line with the goal established for this year in the company's Business and Management Plan, which projects 2.8 MMboed in 2019.

Jan 17, 2019 - OE Digital

With the oil and gas market heating up in Brazil, many foreign service providers are looking to set up shop in Brazil with an eye on new opportunities. Although the South American country's main attraction will continue to be exploration and production (E&P) in post-salt and pre-salt acreage, other significant opportunities will be on offer. One niche will be the decommissioning of various offshore structures, from deactivated subsea infrastructure to rusting rig legs to whole rigs and floating production storage and offloading units (FPSO). As many of Brazil’s offshore production units are aging, especially in the Campos Basin, decommissioning in Brazil will be an important market which will last for decades.