Final day in Mexico

In the Gulf of Mexico

Crown Prince Haakon visited an FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel) along with the Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Riis-Johansen and others. Although the vessel is owned by PEMEX, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, 80 per cent of the equipment on board is Norwegian, and the ship is operated by BW Offshore, a leading maritime company based in Norway.

Mexico and Norway are among the world’s 10 largest oil producers. There is great potential for cooperation between the two countries, especially on technology for deep-sea oil drilling.

Opened a trade and industry seminar

Cooperation between Norway and Mexico in the petroleum sector was also the main focus when Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened a trade and industry seminar in Veracruz. In her opening speech, the Crown Princess stated:

“The petroleum sector is vital in both our economies and a focus area for this visit (…) Mexico is one of the largest producers of oil and gas in the world with huge unexplored potential deepwater resources. At the Norwegian continental shelf the recovery rate has increased from 17 per cent in the early 1970s, to a recovery rate of 46 per cent today. The Norwegian technological solutions for development of deepwater discoveries will be presented here today.”

Another key topic at the seminar was coffee. Norwegians drink more coffee per person than any other nationality in the world except the Finns. Coffee is an important export commodity in Mexico.

Visit to a cultural centre and harbour

Following the opening of the seminar, the Crown Princess visited the Instituto Veracruzano de la Cultura (IVEC) Cultural Centre in Veracruz, where she attended a dance performance and viewed an exhibition of works by local artisans.

Veracruz is a port of call for many Norwegian ships, and the Crown Princess was given a guided tour of the information centre by head of the port Juan Ignacio Fernández Carbajal.

Conclusion in Mexico City

On Thursday afternoon, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess returned to Mexico City, where their visit to Mexico was concluded with an official luncheon with President Felipe Calderón and Mrs. Margarita Zavala.