Two multinational operating companies, Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) have set plans for in-country fabrication and integration of over 50 per cent of the topsides of their projects’ floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels.
The projects are the Zabazaba deepwater project being executed by NAE in partnership with SNEPCO on Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245 and the Bonga South West Aparo (BSWA) deepwater project being developed by SNEPCO.
Indications emerged on Friday that major contractors bidding for Zabazaba submitted competitive costs and concrete plans to fabricate and integrate over 50 per cent of the FPSO topsides in-country.
The technical and commercial evaluations of bids for the Zabazaba main packages have been finalized by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and NAE and the submissions met the aspiration of maximizing local content at the most competitive cost. The packages included the FPSO units, subsea, installation and rigs, A statement from the Agency said.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote confirmed the positive development, expressing optimism that the execution of Zabazaba would grow Nigerian content and impact the economy, much more than previous deepwater projects.
Source: Daily Trust