Building for the full lifecycle: Weverton Nazario on EPCIO and long-term operations

Q. To start our conversation, could you briefly share your professional background in offshore energy?

I am a Brazilian professional with over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, with a career spanning construction, operations, and maintenance. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work on projects involving drilling rigs, floating production, storage, and offloading units (FPSOs), and exploration and production operations across regions including Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Africa. These experiences have shaped my technical perspective and reinforced the importance of collaboration, adaptability, and respect in diverse environments. 

Q. Outside of work, what helps you stay balanced and continue growing personally?

I place strong value on continuous learning and personal well-being. I enjoy reading and studying, dedicating time to academic exploration and writing. Staying active is also an important part of my routine, and I train regularly for half marathons, which I aim to run twice a year. Maintaining this balance helps me stay focused, energized, and prepared for new challenges.

Q. What is your core area of expertise, and how did you begin your career in offshore energy?

I would describe my primary area of expertise as offshore operations and integrated asset management, with a strong focus on operational readiness, Operations & Maintenance (O&M) processes, and lifecycle performance. My career in offshore operations and energy developed through hands-on experience and exposure to diverse operational environments, but the first chapter of this journey is particularly important. It began when I was 13, working alongside my father as a milling machine operator, where I learned the craft and the value of hard work firsthand. Since then, I have approached every challenge with dedication and focus, believing that consistent effort and attention to detail always lead to results.

Q. What motivated you to join Hanwha Ocean at this point in your career, and what about the company’s direction resonated most with you?

While every role I have held brought its own challenges, joining Hanwha Ocean offered a unique opportunity to apply over 30 years of experience to something truly meaningful — contributing to the organization’s business transformation and helping establish operations the right way from the very start.  For me, this represents more than a job. It is a chance to create lasting impact, support the growth of the organization, and build a foundation for long-term success.

Several aspects of the company’s direction resonated strongly with me. First, Hanwha’s successful track record and ability to deliver state-of-the-art assets demonstrated the company’s commitment to excellence and innovation. I also had personal experience with Hanwha 15 years ago, as a client during the construction of four drilling ships, and I was impressed by the quality, professionalism, and reliability of the team. Finally, Hanwha’s commitment to transform, adapt, and position itself ahead of competitors through the engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and operations (EPCIO) delivery model captured my attention. 

Q. What were your initial impressions of Hanwha Ocean’s culture, and how is the way of working in the Energy Plant Unit (EPU) evolving as the organization transforms?

Hanwha Ocean is transitioning toward a more contemporary vision and adopting agile ways of working, and my early impression was that the company is a multicultural, collaborative environment where teams are open to working across functions. 

As part of this transformation, the company is embracing a fluid management approach that gives teams greater autonomy in executing agreed projects. This shift reflects Hanwha Ocean’s commitment to innovation and efficiency, while enabling teams to move projects forward more effectively and remain aligned with broader strategic objectives.

“While every role I have held brought its own challenges, joining Hanwha Ocean offered a unique opportunity to apply over 30 years of experience to something truly meaningful — contributing to the organization’s business transformation and helping establish operations the right way from the very start.”

Q. Can you explain your role in supporting Hanwha Ocean’s shift to an EPCIO model? 

My role focuses on embedding operational thinking from the early stages of projects, ensuring assets are designed, prepared, and handed over with long-term operations in mind.

Within the O&M team, I help develop the conceptual operations and maintenance framework and establish the governance, processes, and systems required for sustainable operations. This includes defining operating models, integrating digital solutions, and ensuring the right people and capabilities are in place, with a strong focus on safety, asset integrity, and environmental performance.

Q. Building on that, what does it mean in practice for the O&M team and what are the key priorities? 

The O&M organization focuses on standardizing operational processes, establishing governance and operating models, and embedding safety, reliability, and performance management across EPU product lines. By integrating operational considerations from the earliest stages of product development, we enable smoother handovers, faster stabilization after start-up, and stronger performance across the asset lifecycle.

Our operational strength is rooted in decades of hands-on experience across engineering, procurement, construction, integration, commissioning, and early-life support. This deep understanding of how assets are designed and built allows us to establish practical and realistic operating frameworks that reflect real-world conditions rather than theoretical assumptions.

As a result, Operations serves as a strategic differentiator. It reduces risk, enhances customer value, and supports sustainable long-term growth. Strong operational performance enables long-term revenue through O&M and lifecycle service contracts, while also building customer trust through proven asset performance and strengthening competitiveness for follow-on projects. 

Q.  Since stepping into the role, what have you focused on first, and what progress have you seen so far?

Our initial priority was to establish the O&M mindset across the organization. It was encouraging to see teams previously focused exclusively on engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) receptive to this approach and confident that, with our expertise and commitment, the transition to an EPCIO model would succeed. The O&M division is now expanding, with new representatives soon to be based in our South Korea offices to help embed best practices across all EPU product lines.

Q. What kinds of decisions carry the greatest responsibility in your role, and how do you approach them?

Safety is always the priority. A key approach is addressing known challenges effectively, ensuring that resources and attention are available to manage unexpected problems as they arise. In decision-making, good practice is to balance cost, risk, and performance. These three elements must always be considered in decisions involving asset management to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable operations.

“Working at Hanwha means being part of a company with strong ambition, a clear strategic vision, and a genuine drive for innovation.”

Q. What does it take to succeed in a global, operations-led leadership role, and which skills or perspectives matter most at this stage of your career?

My commitment is always to do what is right to preserve life, protect the environment, and safeguard the assets we operate. Part of the O&M division’s work is to develop guidelines that reflect this vision and set clear expectations for behavior during operations. Our goal is for every team member to be empowered to take action to protect life, the environment, and assets without needing prior permission or approval, ensuring safety and operational excellence across all assets we operate.

The learning process never ends. At this stage of my career, it is increasingly important to embrace new capabilities and perspectives, including digitalization, AI agents, and related technologies, which are now a reality in operations. Staying open to these tools, continuously updating skills, and adapting to emerging ways of working are essential to lead effectively and drive the ongoing evolution of operations in a complex and global environment.

Q. Looking ahead, what does working at Hanwha mean to you, and what kind of organization do you hope to help shape?

Working at Hanwha means being part of a company with strong ambition, a clear strategic vision, and a genuine drive for innovation. For me, it represents an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the long-term development of the organization. My aspiration is to help build an O&M division that supports all EPU product lines through standardized practices and consistent processes, while developing the capabilities required to position Hanwha as a benchmark in the market and, consequently, the first choice for our clients. The organization we are shaping will be recognized for high levels of safety and operational performance, optimized operating expenditure, and disciplined execution across floating assets, onshore facilities, and renewable projects — ultimately delivering sustainable value through continuous improvement and operational excellence.

About Weverton Nazario

Weverton Nazario brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in offshore energy, spanning construction, operations, and maintenance. At Hanwha Ocean, he is leading the build-out of O&M capabilities to strengthen the company’s Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Operation (EPCIO) delivery model across the full asset lifecycle. 

Keep up with Weverton on LinkedIn.