Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited, First E&P, has announced that the NNPC/First E&P Joint Venture on PML53 and PLM 54 has attained a major operational safety milestone with 10 million man-hours without a Lost Time Incident, LTI, across all operations, as of June 9, 2025.
Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, Managing Director, FIRST E&P stated: “From the initial steel cut for the Anyala platform in December 2018, to first oil from PML 53 in 2020, the production of over 65 million barrels of oil and more than 100 successful export lifts delivered to date with average facility uptime of approximately 95%, our teams have worked with discipline and vigilance to maintain a world-class HSE performance.
“Our safety record reflects not just the robustness of our systems but the strength of our SafetyFIRST culture. Achieving 10 million man-hours without LTI demonstrates the discipline, collaboration, and vigilance of every person working across our value chain. We are grateful for the invaluable support of our JV partner NNPC Limited, as well as our regulators, host communities, and contractors whose collective cooperation has helped to build a safe and high-performing environment.”
This milestone is the result of deliberate planning and disciplined execution across a range of complex operations, including offshore production platforms, Floating Production Storage and Offloading, FPSO, systems, marine vessels, and many onshore support activities. Key enablers of this achievement include measures such as FIRST E&P’s company-wide Stop Work Authority policy, coordination of simultaneous operations, and continuous training programmes designed to reinforce a culture of operational discipline, emergency preparedness, and shared responsibility.
The company’s robust protocols for managing simultaneous operations have enabled seamless coordination across multiple high-risk activities, ensuring safety remains uncompromised even under demanding conditions. Regular hazard identification and mitigation processes, coupled with ongoing competency development, further enhance frontline readiness and risk awareness.
Crucially, safety is championed from the top. The company’s senior leadership continues to maintain a strong presence at operational sites, demonstrating that safety is not just a policy but a core value that is lived daily. This visible leadership fosters trust, reinforces accountability, and ensures alignment across all levels of the organisation.
As we celebrate this achievement, we remain committed to building on this foundation, pursuing new milestones, enhancing our performance, and deepening our partnerships for greater impact in Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector.
