Kunle Kalejaye 05 April 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos – Five weeks after Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCo, shut down its Bonga deep water field for routine turnaround maintenance, TAM, the company says made in Nigeria products were being utilised in the exercise.
The TAM on the Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel, which commenced on March 4, 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.
The maintenance is also being carried out as part of the base case design of the FPSO to carry out TAM every 30 months.
SNEPCo’ s Managing Director, Mr Bayo Ojulari, disclosed in a video conference with journalist in Lagos that nearly all the bolts and nuts as well as fabrications used for the exercise are made in Nigeria, marking a turning point in the company’s efforts to encourage Nigerian content development.
“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,” Ojulari said, adding: “The plan is to successfully conclude the ramp of activities and resume production as planned in April, 2017″
According to him, “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.”
The current maintenance work is the fourth since Bonga began production in 2005 as Nigeria’s first deep water development in depths of more than 1,000 metres.
The facility, which won the ‘Asset of the Year’ Award 2016 in the Shell Group, is located 120 kilometres 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 with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.