A worker at Shell Bonga project offshore Nigeria

Jethro Ibileke

A total of 702 million barrels of crude oil were produced from the Bonga oil field in 12 years.

The oil field which was inaugurated in 2005, with capacity for 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, operated at more than 92 percent availability in 2016.

Bonga is Nigeria’s first deep-water development in depths of more than 1,000 metres, and is located 120 kilometers offshore Nigeria.

Managing Director of the oil field operator, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Bayo Ojulari, who disclosed this Tuesday, while addressing energy editors in Lagos on the new lease of life of Bonga after a major turnaround maintenance which was completed in last month.

He disclosed that the volumes came from the Bonga main field and Bonga Phases 2 and 3 that unlocked the nearby Bonga North West field in August 2014.

Ojulari said one of the high points of the turnaround was the engagement of about 65 Nigerian contractor and subcontractor companies, with over 1000 people involved across worksites and vessels in the exercise described as the biggest in scope in the 12-year history of the asset.

“The exercise stimulated the growth of support industries vital to deep-water asset management. It provided a wider benefit to the Nigerian economy by boosting demand for a range of goods and services including offshore vessels and platforms, materials, floating hotel and helicopters,” he said.

It was gathered that the turnaround exercise which included statutory and regulatory checks and inspections, repairs and replacement of equipment, and upgrade of facilities, witnessed an optimisation of resources and was safely completed within schedule.

According to Ojulari, a critical success factor of the project was the collaboration by more than 10 functions who benchmarked their contributions against a robust execution plan.

He noted that procuring materials from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) saved cost and ensured seamless delivery, and the project team sourced key equipment and carried out fabrications within Nigeria.

This innovation, he said, marked a turning point in SNEPCo’s efforts to develop the capabilities of Nigerian companies in the provision of goods and services in deep-water oil and gas production.

Ojulari who expressed delight at the increasing number of women on the frontline, noted that more women were involved at every stage of the turnaround compared to any of the three previous exercises.

“I’m very pleased that over 95 percent of these women are Nigerians and they add to our growing pool of Nigerian deep-water professionals produced through the asset,” he said.

He commended the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its co-venture partners for their timely support in the safe delivery of the turnaround.

SNEPCo is credited with producing the first generation of Nigerian deep-water oil and gas engineers, and in 2016, Bonga won ‘Asset of the Year’ Award in the Shell Group.

The Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel receives crude and gas from production wells on the seabed and has the capacity to produce 225,000 barrels of oil and 210 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.

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 NNPC.