As part of its commitment to continue to improve indigenous capacity in the oil and gas sector, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) recently committed the turnaround maintenance (TAM) of its deep-offshore Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO), Bonga, in the hands of Nigerian companies which are playing key roles in the TAM at Bonga.
SNEPCo said the TAM is part of statutory activities that will ensure continuous optimum operations at the deep-water field.
The Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary said nearly all the bolts and nuts as well as fabrications used for the exercise are made in Nigeria, marking a turning point in SNEPCo’s efforts to encourage Nigerian content development.
According to the Managing Director, SNEPCo, Mr Bayo Ojulari, “This is an operation safely in Nigerian hands, with Nigerian engineers and companies playing leading roles and ensuring the objectives of the exercise are achieved.”
The turnaround maintenance which commenced on March 4, 2017, involves three major components – statutory and regulatory safety checks; inspections, repairs and replacement of equipment and upgrades – to ensure safety, optimum production, availability and reliability. It is also part of the base case design of the FPSO to carry out TAM on every 30 months basis.
“The plan is to successfully conclude the ramp of activities and resume production as planned in April, 2017. It is not proper to interpret the period as production loss to Nigeria. Rather, the turnaround maintenance is a series of planned and controlled activities that are implemented in collaboration with government and other stakeholders, with the aim of ensuring the continued safety and productivity of the facility. The planning started two years ago and safety is top priority in every stage of the activities,” Ojulari said.
The turnaround maintenance is the fourth since Bonga began production in 2005. Bonga won the ‘Asset of the Year’ Award 2016 in the Shell Group. Bonga is Nigeria’s first deep water development in depths of more than 1,000 metres, and is located 120km offshore Nigeria.
SNEPCo operates Bonga in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deep Water) Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited under a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
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