!"#$%&'"()$()*&+,-./01234567"8)9:99-;<:<=>99:;4//99?

6@$9:

+ 18 CLASS ACT
Bringing science
to life in schools
28 OCEAN JEWEL
Latest shipping
fleet launched
48 TOP MODEL
Predicting the
future of climate

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE BP GROUP ISSUE 1 2009

BPMAGAZINE

SWEET
38 SPOTLIGHT: BUSINESS IN BRAZIL

HARVEST
With strong positions in jet fuels and lubricants
and a growing biofuels business, BP’s Brazilian
business is reaping rewards. BP Magazine reports
from the South American country.
!"#$%&'"()$()*&+,-./01234567"8)9:99.;-;<=99:>4<?99@6A$9--

Welcome. Inspiration is a powerful tool. It can

instil great passion in people, and drive them to contents / issue 1 2009
achieve remarkable things. In many cases, that first
taste of inspiration comes from a teacher. In the UK, + Features
interest in science at school has declined in recent 10 Mega achievement The story behind Azerbaijan’s
‘contract of the century’. By Helen Campbell
years, leading to concerns of a skills shortage in Photography by BP Imageshop

industries dependent on those subjects. On page 18,

we find out about a BP-supported programme – aptly
entitled Project Enthuse – designed to help science
teachers reverse that trend, while a look at climate
modelling on page 48, advances in seismic
technology on page 8 and the innovation behind BP
Shipping’s latest fleet featured on page 28 are all
perfect examples of how inspired thought helps
drive the energy industry.
Lisa Davison> Editor
18 Enthusiastic approach The education
programme designed to help teachers inspire a new
generation of scientists. By Hester Thomas
Photography by National Science Learning Centre
24 Ethical values How BP’s compliance and ethics
agenda is meeting the very highest expectations.
By Lisa Davison Illustration by Serge Seidlitz
28 Precious cargo The new class of liquefied natural
gas vessels adding a touch of sparkle to the high seas. By
Nick Reed Photography by Stuart Conway
Cover story
38 Brazilian beauty Interest in Brazil is on the rise
with growth in tourism and businesses. BP is poised to
tap into that growth thanks to a strong presence in jet
fuels, a well-established lubricants business and a new
biofuels venture. BP Magazine visits the country to learn
more about this sleeping giant. By Paula Kolmar
Photography by Marc Morrison

48 All change Climate modelling is an increasingly

useful tool in understanding the Earth’s climate and
contributors> scientists at Princeton are leading the way. By Nina Morgan
Photography by NOAA

52 Looking East A new BP-supported exhibition has

begun travelling around the UK giving insight into Chinese
history and culture. By Hester Thomas
Photography from the Trustees of the British Museum

58 Interactive energy How a new BP website aims to

NINA MORGAN
worked as an
exploration geologist
for seven years before
turning to freelance
science writing. She
now specialises in
writing about all
branches of science
and technology.
STUART CONWAY’S
all time favourite
photographic subject
was a dazzling male
Tufted Coquette
hummingbird whilst
on assignment in
Trinidad.
DAVID LYTTLETON
help individuals better understand their carbon footprint,
is a freelance
illustrator from while offering tips to reduce it. By Helen Campbell
Newcastle-Under-
Lyme, Staffordshire. He
contributes to many + Regulars
publications,including
a weekly Guardian
column.
04 For the record A snapshot of BP news and statistics
from around the world.

06 The Big Issue The Met Office discusses the

BP MAGAZINE challenges and opportunities of using climate models.
The international magazine of the BP Group – ISSUE 1 2009 Illustration by David Lyttleton

BP Magazine is published quarterly for external readers around the

world, as well as past and present BP employees. Its contents do not 07 BP Faces BP Australia’s national barista champion
necessarily reflect official company views. makes the perfect coffee. Photography by Bill Bachman
The copyright for photographs and illustrations in BP Magazine is not
always owned by BP. Please contact BP Photographic Services for details. 08 Science made simple The technology helping BP
‘see’ through salt. By Nic Welsh. Illustration by Magic Torch
managing editor design
Barbara Peen Phil Steed – Steed Design 36 Viewpoint Music students gather for a very special
peenb@bp.com phil@steeddesign.com
www.steeddesign.com performance. By Lisa Davison Photography by Richard Davies
editor
Lisa Davison print management
lisa.davison@uk.bp.com Williams Lea 57 Factfile A look at a few ‘firsts’ from BP Shipping.
distribution image contributors
Carolyn Copland BP Imageshop 62 Archive Revisiting BP’s connections with China
+44 (0) 20 7496 4340 Debut Art through the past century. Photography by BP Archive
iStockphoto
Jupiter Images Unlimited 66 Parting shot: Freeze frame Capturing an Afro-
Brazilian artform in full flow.
© BP p.l.c., 2009
!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;,-

➔ international operations Country report> Brazil

Report> Paula Kolmar

Photography> Marc Morrison

Sweet success: sugar cane

harvesting occurs twice a year
in Brazil in the warm central
areas near the equator. The
country produces more than
20 billion litres of sugar cane
ethanol every year.

38 Issue 1 2009 BP MAGAZINE

!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;,@

BRAZIL THE
UNDISCOVERED
COUNTRY

Business and tourism are on the rise in Brazil – a vast

country that spans more than half of the South
American continent. With strong positions in jet fuels,
auto and manufacturing lubricants, and a new venture
in sugar cane-based biofuels, BP is finding itself well
placed to take advantage of this growing interest.

BP MAGAZINE Issue 1 2009 39

!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;*?

GUYANA 10
VENEZUELA SURINAME
FRENCH
NORTH
GUIANA ATLANTIC
COLOMBIA
OCEAN
Amazon River
0
Belem
Manaus Fortaleza

Recife
BRAZIL
Salvador 10

PERU
BRASILIA

BOLIVIA Campo
Grande
São
Paulo Rio de
20
PARAGUAY
CHILE Janeiro
Porto
ARGENTINA Alegre
SOUTH
AREA
ENLARGED
ATLANTIC 30

URUGUAY OCEAN
km 500 1000 50 40 30

Vast potential: agriculture is

big business in Brazil, but
cowboys are still the best way
to move cattle across the
country’s great expanses of
dirt roads and trails.
Vital statistics:
Name: Brazil
Area: 8,511,965km2 (3,286,488 square miles)
Population: 196,342,592
Life expectancy: 71.71 years
Capital city: Brasília
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate
in the south
Language: Portuguese
Religion: Roman Catholic (73.6%);
Protestant (15.4%)
Currency: real
Major industries: agriculture, textiles, shoes,
chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin,
steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts.
40 Issue 1 2009 BP MAGAZINE
As I stood at the base of one of the world’s most
recognised sculptures, watching a bright sun’s
white radiance turn to a soft glow with the
approach of dusk, I considered a well-kept secret
I learned about Brazil. A country known for its
beautiful people (inside and out I must add), the
Amazon rainforest, Carnival, World Cup football
teams, famous beaches and its Portuguese
language is quietly building up its resource
muscle and cultivating its business acuity. Brazil
is a remote giant that is poised to emerge as a
formidable influence in the world.
Atop a mountain named Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro,
the massive, awe-inspiring sculpture of Christ the
Redeemer stands, arms extended wide, leaving its
message open for interpretation, perhaps a religious
symbol, maybe a welcome, or embrace of protection.
“Look at all that Brazil offers,” it seems to say, “and see
a bright future, new growth and fresh opportunities.”
BP has certainly seen those opportunities and is
busy growing its presence in the South American
country, although not, at the moment, in the way
one might expect.
Brazil produces hydrocarbons primarily from the
Atlantic Ocean in the Campos basin in the southeast
– in 2008 it produced around 2 million barrels per
day. Many energy companies, including the national
oil company Petrobras and BP, have their main offices
in Rio, the original gateway to Brazil. An
extraordinary place, Rio is a city of millions, where
breathtaking beauty and extremes of wealth and »
 !"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;*<

10 Country report> Brazil

10

20

30

Open arms: Rio de Janeiro’s

most famous icon, Christ the
Redeemer, sits atop Corcovado
mountain, arms spread wide to
BP MAGAZINE Issue 1 2009 41
all visitors.
!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;*)

History: Brazil is the largest and most

influential country in South America, and the
only one whose people speak Portuguese.
Following 300 years of rule under Portugal,
Brazil became independent in 1822 and a
republic in 1889. Governance fell under
military control until a peaceful transition to
civilian administration in 1985.

Trade: The discovery of diamonds, gold and

other precious metals peaked the interest of
Portugal and France in the 16th century.
Mining remains one of its key industries.
Highly developed agriculture, manufacturing
and service sectors support its presence in
world markets, with the US as its primary
trading partner.

Culture: Passionate, warm people

characterise Brazil’s population and they are a
nation of zealots when it comes to football
(soccer). The comfort and pleasure of guests
dominate their lifestyle, and visits always
begin with the offer of strong coffee in tiny
espresso cups, followed by immense
generosity with their time and space. Passion
for health and beauty is obvious, but
Brazilians look for it as much on the inside as
on the outside of people.

42 Issue 1 2009 BP MAGAZINE

!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;*,

Country report> Brazil

Favourite spot: at the base of

Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado,
tourists and locals are treated to
the stunning sculpture and a
perfect view of Rio and its beaches.

BP MAGAZINE Issue 1 2009 43

!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;**
Country report> Brazil
» poverty are tightly packed between
mountains, hillsides and world-renowned
beaches – Copacabana and Ipanema. It may
soon be famous as an energy centre, too.
Recent oil discoveries off the city’s coast
have some experts believing vast resources
lie beneath a dome of salt and rock.
This news lifted the country and, one
could argue, even stimulated economic
growth and development, thus leading to
more jobs and more money to spend or
invest. Along with Russia, India and China,
Brazil is recognised as one of four key
emerging markets that will drive future
global growth and it is this potential that BP
is working hard to tap into: specifically in
lubricants and aviation fuel.
S
ão Paulo, the most populous city in
Brazil, is home to BP’s lubricants
business and Air BP offices, and
serves as the global development centre for
BP’s premiere venture into biofuels, using
sugar cane rather than corn. Sampa, as it is
commonly called by locals, is a
cosmopolitan city with an expanding
middle-class economy and evolving small-
business sector. Portuguese, the national
language, is often the only one travellers
encounter outside of their hotels.
The southeast region, where Rio and São
44 Issue 1 2009 BP MAGAZINE
New arrival: Air BP is the
first new aviation fuelling
company to arrive in Brazil
in the past 50 years.
Paulo are located, represents close to 80% of
the population and 60% of Brazil’s buying
power. About an hour’s travel by plane, the
two metropolises cover a compact area of
southeastern Brazil, one of the five largest
countries in the world. From a marketing
point of view, the two cities offer
convenient exposure to roughly 20 million
potential customers in a country where
people love and depend on their cars, and
take pride in maintaining them with the
best products they can afford. That means
changing the oil under the hood regularly
using high-performance, branded and
proven engine oil products.
BP Lubricants’ Castrol brand, sold in
Brazil since the 1950s, takes the needs of
customers very seriously and designs oils
with specifications targeting a suite of
vehicles, from small flex-fuel cars to large
cargo trucks. The Castrol brand also serves
Brazil’s growing automotive
manufacturing, metalurgy and machinery
manufacturing industries. BP Lubricants’
Industrial Lubricants & Services (ILS)
division also works closely with the
mining industry – Brazil’s iron ore exports
generate around $2 billion in annual
revenue – and sugar mills. As of 2007,
Brazil is the world’s largest producer of
sugar cane.
NEW HOPE FOR
PROSPERITY
Favelas (fah - veh - lahs):
shantytowns and slums of Rio de
Janeiro and São Paulo; rich in
history; the only affordable
housing for lower-working-class
people; violence is common.
Famous and infamous at once, Rio’s
favelas number around 1,000. The
peculiar urban geography of the city has
meant many are placed on hillsides that
face the prosperous seaside
neighbourhoods and tourist spots. They
provide a striking illustration of the
dramatic gap between rich and poor.
Favelas are a culture within a culture,
self-governing, caught in a cycle of poverty
from which it is hard to break free. Living
conditions have been a major issue in
Brazil for at least a century, and many
attempts to ‘cure’ the problem have left
them in the same spiral at a growing rate.
Documentaries, movies, and tours
have placed a small spotlight on favelas,
but as Brazil advances its global presence,
attention is intensifying.
Small strides are helping direct people
towards the hope of prosperity. Cristina
Brunet, community affairs coordinator
for all of BP Brazil’s businesses, is getting
the company involved with passion
and funding.
She is a Carioca (native of Rio de
Janeiro) to the core and believes
passionately in a future for people in the
favelas. “Most residents are hard-working
and ambitious, grasping for opportunities
to improve themselves,” she explains.
“Education and training give them the
chance to see a better future.”
Rio’s Favela da Maré is a community
that supports education, art, and tutoring
for university entrance exams through a
homegrown organisation called CEASM,
founded in 1997. We were permitted to
visit the school where BP sponsors
language courses in English, Spanish and
French. Just as extraordinary is the
recently opened museum of Maré history
and local works of art. One of the CEASM
founders explains why he built the
museum: “The people like to express
themselves through art to tell a story or
reflect the place where they live. I
wanted to give them a place to exhibit
their art and possibly motivate others to
take part.”
»
!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;*+

Brazil> Favelas

“Most residents are hard-

working and ambitious,
grasping for opportunities
to improve themselves.”
Cristina Brunet

Hope abounds: in a bid to escape cramped conditions,

extreme poverty and violence in the favelas (top),
many residents, both young and old, take advantage of
local training programmes and schooling. Science is
supported in the Favela da Maré school, while
photography is taught as a job skill in São Paulo.

BP MAGAZINE Issue 1 2009 45

!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;*=
Country report> Brazil
Castrol lubricants are produced and
packaged at a plant on the outskirts of Rio.
Demand for the products is high, and
output is closely managed by Salim Abi
Saab. “Because of this demand, the plant
operates flat out. Unscheduled downtime is
an unacceptable risk, as are poor safety
habits,” Abi Saab explains. “We have a
rigorous production schedule and an
intricate arrangement for truck arrivals,
loading and departures. Safety is managed
with a firm hand for employees and
shippers alike. It is a key feature in our
ability to maintain the customers’
expectations of quality and delivery.” Back
in São Paulo, Mauricio Garcia-Ramos and
Carlos Cardozo, the heads of automotive
and industrial lubricants, recently
implemented a new marketing programme
that makes efficient use of distributors to
increase product sales throughout the
sprawling and sparsely populated regions
“Safety is managed with a firm hand
for employees and shippers alike. It
is a key feature in our ability to
maintain the customers’
expectations of quality and delivery.”
Salim Abi Saab
46 Issue 1 2009 BP MAGAZINE
of Brazil. “After a few months, the positive
impact of the programme is evident in the
numbers,” says Garcia-Ramos and Cardozo.
Air travel within Brazil and from around
the world is on the rise. The country’s 67
airports are operated by the government
entity Infraero, which is dedicated to
meeting the demand and improving
flight safety.
T
ourism is a major growth area, with
investors opening more resorts and
hotels on exquisite beaches and
close to areas of hard-to-access natural
beauty, which had previously required
visitors to stay in small campsites. ‘Build it
and they will come’ as the old saying goes,
and so it is in Brazil. Air BP, imbued with a
passion and process for safety and
efficiency, is establishing itself as the
aviation fuelling company recognised as
having the safest operation in the country,”
says Marcelo Soares, operations manager.
The first new aviation fuelling company in
Brazil in 50 years, Air BP has brought
innovative ideas and proven safety
measures for fuelling planes accurately.
This is evident in the fact that Brazil’s
government is currently assessing Air BP’s
safety procedures and is planning on
making its ‘no decal no fuel’ policy a law
in the country.
“Brazil’s jet fuels market has grown 8.1%
and 7.7%, respectively in 2007 and 2008.
After completing construction of the
Rio de Janeiro International Airport
terminal and the pipeline to access local
fuel supply in May 2008, Air BP Brazil has
established a solid foundation for business
growth”, says Ricardo Paganini, Air BP
Brazil country manager.
The safety philosophy and procedures
align with the objectives of Infraero: to put
in place a safe, efficient fuelling process in
Safe hands: Castrol has had a
presence in Brazil since the 1950s
and prides itself on its safety record.
Above, the view over Rio de Janeiro is
a spectacular sight.
!"#$%&#'()*+#,-.*/0123456789:;<;;)=><>?@;;</4*);;"6AB;*/
order to prepare for the anticipated
increase in air traffic. Tourism is a big part
of the growth, but business travel is on the
rise as well. Visiting the Brazilian
Consulate in Houston, I discover that
applications for business visas to Brazil
have grown at a remarkable rate over the
past 18 months. Whether tourism or
business is attracting people to Brazil, the
hidden potential is building momentum.
Paulo Pinho, head of BP’s biofuels venture
in the country, sees the opportunity in
Brazil as far-reaching.
“Given today’s petroleum price
volatility and the global interest in
reducing dependency on hydrocarbon fuel,
our joint venture, Tropical Bioenergia,
gives BP a position in the growing sugar
cane ethanol industry in Brazil,” says Pinho.
And Brazil is the place for this business,
producing around 22 billion litres of sugar
cane ethanol per year, according to its
industry organisation UNICA, and “Given today’s petroleum
continues to show big growth. With two
harvests per year, sugar cane is plentiful in price volatility and the
Brazil, and studies show that there is global interest in
enough arable land available to support
production of biofuels without having an
reducing dependency on
impact on land for food crops, or sensitive hydrocarbon fuel, our
areas such as rainforests. Brazil is far ahead joint venture, Tropical
of most countries in providing fossil and
biofuels to consumers; 90% of the vehicles Bioenergia, gives BP a
are flex-fuel, so the driver can switch fuels position in the growing
whenever the prices change. “Increasing
capacity for making sugar cane ethanol, as sugar cane ethanol
we plan to do at Tropical, creates more industry in Brazil.”
opportunity for exporting to consumers
who want the choice.” Paulo Pinho
Discovering Brazil is a trip more and
more people and businesses are taking, and
the prize is a gold mine of fortune and
prosperity from every direction. The
undiscovered country is about to burst
onto the world’s radar. ■
Field to fuel: farming sugar cane is
paying off in a big way as the world
takes a close look at Brazil’s sugar
cane ethanol industry.
BP MAGAZINE Issue 1 2009 47