ON Thursday, May 17, 2012, when Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke stepped into FENOG’s Jetty at Ugbuwangue in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, she took a quick glance at the massive barge she came to commission and she smiled broadly and said it loud and clear thus; “Oh, this barge is very impressive.”
And shortly after her arrival and those heart-warming words, the Minister at exactly 5.15p.m inaugurated Africa’s largest Offshore Pipelaying/Derrick Barge christened Akpevweoghene, a local ethnic dialect in Delta State, which means: Let us praise God.
The elated Minister who was accompanied by Group Executive Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andy Yakubu, Group Executive Director, Gas and Power of NNPC, Dr. David Ige, as well as Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engr. Ernest Nwapa, said that; “I am extremely impressed with what I have seen here today at FENOG Nigeria Limited; this is one hundred percent indigenous Nigerian company that has got to the stage that it can actually procure and manage a vessel of this size that can carry about 300 people. With the kind of facilities that we have seen here today and that can actually lay pipes offshore from 4" to 36" and I think that is a something that is most commendable and it is also an obvious indication that Nigerian Content is actually working also and working for Nigerians.”
According to her, “I want to commend FENOG because this is what we are hoping many other operators in the downstream service sector of the oil and gas industry will begin to replicate. Until we are able to ensure that Nigerian indigenous companies fully come into their own in the manner that FENOG has, we will not be contend.”
She also said; “As you may know, FENOG is actually laying one of our most critical gas pipelines-the Escravos/Lagos pipeline at this point in time and they have done a very commendable job at that as well and so I must say that we are extremely encouraged by what we have seen and commissioned here and we will commend them to do even more and go further and we will ensure that as a Ministry of Petroleum we will give our full support, not only to FENOG, but to all indigenous operators as they progress Nigerian Content in this country."
The Minister assured that the Federal Government would continue to support and encourage indigenous companies operating in the oil industry in line with the local content policy of the federal authorities.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who was visibly impressed by the giant strides achieved by FENOG, especially with the company’s acquisition of the HDD Technology and the Akpevweoghene barge, assured that the local content policy was not a lip service and mere slogan. She said the policy would entrench indigenous operators in the nation’s oil industry.
Executive Director of FENOG Nigeria Limited, Mr. Matthew Tonlagha, while explaining the unique features of the barge to the Minister before the commissioning, stated among other in-built capacities that, “Akpevweoghene can lay pipe offshore from 2” to 60” pipe offshore from the depth of 200 to 300 feet above and it can also lift heavy duty equipment of about 1,000 tons because the crane there is 1,000 tons, the equipment with 387”x100”x25” dimension, is laced with state of the art facilities. It has the capacity to accommodate 250 crew members that is the highest crane in the whole of Africa.”
Excited Tonlagha speaking to newsmen shortly after the commissioning of Akpevweoghene said; “The visit has reassured us that we have taken the right decision by our investment in local content development and her action would convince stakeholders within and outside Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan is serious about the Nigerian Local Content and will further encourage other Nigerians to invest in Nigerian content development. But we want to urge the Petroleum Minister to prevail on the multi-national Oil Companies to engage FENOG in their Offshore Pipeline Campaign so that the hope of Nigerians investing on capacity building will not be in vain.”
“We want the Minister to prevail on the multi-national oil corporations operating in Nigeria, to engage us in our offshore pipeline services,” he said.
According to Mr. Tonlagha, “We in FENOG are very happy that we have become a pace setter in the oil and gas industry because if you can see, among the indigenous Nigerian companies, since the bill (Local Content Development Bill) was signed into law, FENOG is the highest investor. In July last year, the Executive Secretary/CEO of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engr. Ernest Nwapa commissioned FENOG's PD 500 HDD RIG which is the latest edition of HDD RIGS in the whole world; we are investing heavily because of the hope that we have in the Nigerian Content.”
In his words also, “Today, the Petroleum Minister has commissioned our offshore Lay Barge known as Akpevweoghene and I want to let you know that we are very happy with the way the Nigerian Content is going. I want to commend the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Engr. Austen Oniwon for enforcing the Nigerian Local Content to the oil companies.”
Speaking to newsmen further after the inauguration of Akpevweoghene, Mr. Tonlagha showered praises on the Executive Secretary/CEO of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engr. Ernest Nwapa for the support to FENOG saying that, “Engr. Nwapa has helped us to come this far, he has contributed greatly to the success story of the expansion in FENOG and we are more than grateful to him. Words are not enough to express our appreciation to him.”
He also commended on FENOG latest PD 500 HDD Rig, saying that it was being used for the Pan Ocean 67km Amukpe-Escravos Pipeline Project that the company is handling; “We are using continuous HDD technology over 67km being the first ever in the whole world.”
“The continuous HDD technology designed by our own Engineers is very good for our environment; it is something that is well secured and a big ENEMY of pipeline VANDALS. You do not need security to go and guard the pipeline and so because Pan Ocean Oil Corporation wants the security of their pipelines they awarded this contract to FENOG Nigeria Limited. And we are doing very well, we employ people from the community; train them very well to know the project so that they can work with us. As I am talking to you, we have trained a lot of Nigerians from various communities as part of the people operating the HDD rig. This is a new technology that is coming to this country. Also, in the process of executing the project for Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, many sub-contracts have been given to the host communities to empower them”, Mr. Tonlagha said.
Mr. Tonlagha revealed that the earlier two PD 250 HDD RIGS had recently completed the first ever HDD job in the country for Chevron Nigeria Limited Escravos River Crossing project in Delta State laying pipes of 24” diameter across Escravos River. The project covered up to a distance of 1.7km, being the longest distance ever covered for HDD project across the globe. The PD 250 HDD Rigs have also completed other river crossing projects for ZAKHEM/ Nigerian Gas Company/NNPC, they include; Egwa 1 river crossing ( 24” x 680m), Egwa 11 river crossing (24” x 950m), Poro Creek river crossing (24” x 440m), Apala Creek river crossing ( 24” x 400m) and Warri River crossing (24” x 600m).
Speaking on the recent successful River Crossing of Chanomi Creek on Escravos/Warri/Lagos Gas Pipeline, , Mr. Matthew Tonlagha said that it took FENOG exactly twenty-one (21) days to carry out this rare achievement to the nation, saying that the firm delivered on time even before the deadline given by the Federal Government and the NNPC.
In his words, "Recently, during the visit of the Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, NNPC, Dr. David Ige during his inspection of the Escravos/Warri/Lagos Gas Pipeline Project that we are handling, I promised NNPC and the Federal Government that we in FENOG will double our efforts in completing the project because of the vital nature of the project to the country. As soon as the NNPC officials led by Dr. Ige left our site, we increased our manpower and equipment and the good news now is that on Monday, April 16, 2012; we successfully completed the River Crossing of the Chanomi Creeks."
"The Chanomi Creek River Crossing is a very big project and if not because of our HDD Technology that we deployed for the project, it would have been difficult to complete that kind of project in a record time. Because of our HDD Technology we did the project for three weeks; each pipe is 45m depth, we made it so because the Chanomi Creek is a route for all ships and because of future dredging too, hence we buried the pipes to that extent," the FENOG boss stated.
According to him; "Right now, we have met the Federal Government demand on the Chanomi River Crossing, we have completed it and it is just to hook it up with the pipeline. I want to urge all and sundry to support the Local Content Policy of the Federal Government."
“We have invested so much in the sector due to the trust we have in this Local Content Policy by the Federal Government and monitoring of its implementation by NCDMB. We have just acquired HDD PD 150 Rig; we are still expecting more of the HDD Rigs before the end of the year. So, we are calling on the multinationals to appreciate the effort by making use of our equipments”, he appealed.
In the area of Community Social Responsibility (CRS), FENOG Nigeria Limited has so far empowered numerous unemployed youth in this part of Niger Delta region. This ranges from employment, skill acquisition, training and involvement of local contractors in their area of operations as sub-contractors in most of these projects being executed by the company. FENOG Dry dock yard/Jetty when fully commissioned will employ about 500 unemployed youth thereby keeping faith with the President Goodluck Jonathan Amnesty Programme in the oil-rich Niger Delta Region.
It would be recalled that Akpevweoghene arrived Ghana last July before it was finally brought to FENOG Jetty at Ugbuwangue.
Mr. Matthew Tonlagha had disclosed on Monday, August 1, 2011 that “FENOG Offshore Pipelaying/Derrick Barge (Akpevweoghene) just arrived five days ago in Tema Dry Dockyard in Ghana. This barge is a very big barge so it cannot just come and berth here in Nigeria because it sailed from the Golf of Mexico, US to Africa. We need to check the barge very well and we need to install the facilities removed before the barge started its sailing to Africa. And the only available port that can contain that barge is in Ghana and that is why we left it there in Ghana. Ghana is very close to Nigeria with one hour you are in Ghana. We are already developing our jetty along the Warri River to receive the barge. Engr. Nwapa was at the jetty on July 19, 2011.”
He explained that; “This barge is an international barge that can go to anywhere in the world to work. This barge is to lay pipe line from Shallow water to deep water and the installation of jacket in deep and shallow water and well head jacket plat form and that is why they call it Derrick and pipeline laying barge. The Derrick barge and PD 500 works in different ways. HDD is to lay pipelines without dredging while Akpevweoghene is to lay barge from deep water to shallow water off shore.
According to him, “The Derrick barge (Akpevweoghene) is to lay pipeline and jacket platforms. And now that it has arrived, we know that the multi-national oil companies have been around for the past 20 years when we opened this company, but my Chairman/Managing Director believed in the local content policy and that is why he extended it to this deep water operation because we Nigerians are now available to showcase that we can do all these projects here. And when the President signed the local content bill it gave us hope that Nigerians can participate actively in the deep and shallow water operations.
While expressing gratitude to God for the safe arrival of Derrick barge, Mr. Tonlagha had urged President Jonathan to ensure the workability of the Local Content Policy saying that; “My message to the President is that it is not just signing the local content policy into law but to make it work; the people of the Niger Delta have gone far to procure these equipment to participate because the President is from Niger Delta. It means we have hope to participate in this oil and gas industry. The law is supposed to be the government giving people money and encouraging them to invest, but we did not ask government to give us money to procure this huge equipment into the country. We just went ahead to procure these equipment because of the trust and hope we have in the local content policy, this is for them to know how serious we are and it is because of their credibility that is why FENOG is going into this investment. We should be encouraged by the government.”
He had also said; “The oil majors should feel free to go to Tema Port in Ghana to see the new acquired barge by FENOG Nigeria Limited. The barge will be useful for the operations of Shell, Total, Chevron, ExxonMobil and others. It will help them to drive the Local Content Policy of the Federal Government. And this is also an opportunity for the Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Engr, Austen Oniwon, who have been encouraging and supporting FENOG to let the oil companies know that we have a new equipment, the offshore Pipe-laying Derrick Barge and this our latest equipment is also very good for the Gas Master-plan of the Federal Government.”
FENOG Nigeria Limited is among the few indigenous companies in the country that is so far making the present Federal Government Local Content Policy Initiative a reality. This policy initiative was put in place to revolutionize the Oil and Gas sector of the economy. The Local Content Initiative of the Federal Government aims at boosting indigenous participation in this all-important sector of the economy.
When the bill was signed into law on April 22, 2010, the expectation of some Stakeholders in the Oil and Gas sector was that its implementation would probably not see the light of the day. But this expectation was proved wrong by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) as it was ready to implement this policy initiative to the letter.
While few indigenous companies were skeptical at the outset to key into the policy, FENOG Nigeria Limited, a leading engineering procurement and construction services company, championed the local content policy initiative. The company has so far invested so much in the procurement of latest innovative technology and equipment within this short period of establishing the policy. The recent in its fleet are the procurement of HDD PD 500 Rig and Offshore Laying /Derrick Barge among others. This unprecedented step taken by FENOG made NCDMB Boss, Engr. Ernest Nwapa, to pay an official visit to the company’s corporate headquarters in the oil-rich city of Warri, Delta State to see things for himself and also as a form of encouragement for the good work being done.
In his remark, Engr. Nwapa who was amazed at the state-of-the-art facilities he saw on ground, eulogized FENOG for a job well done.
“WE are not bothered by the desperate moves of some International Oil Companies (IOCs); foreigners cannot come and dictate to Nigerians. I think that what we are seeing here today is something that can only grow bigger because of the tenacity of your Chief Executive and I do not think that he will relent. This is something FENOG has been telling me about and I didn’t know that they have reached this level. What FENOG expects from us now is to help them drive multinational oil companies to begin to use these facilities and that is why we came here not only as NCDMB but also to witness it for ourselves,” Engr. Nwapa said.
This singular giant stride taken by FENOG led to the award of a Multi Billion Naira, Amukpe-Escravos 67km Pipeline Contract by Pan Ocean Nigeria Limited. The pipeline contract is to deploy the latest pipelaying technology using HDD PD 500 Rig which have the capacity to lay pipes of up to 4-70m depth below the earth surface, making the age long issue of pipeline vandalism a thing of the past in Nigeria.
Filled with joy, after the Commissioning of Akpevweoghene, Mr. Matthew Tonlagha said that “We will continue to take a huge advantage of the country's Local Content Act, to acquire more facilities and create jobs for our people; but we also need encouragement from the multi-national oil companies so that our investments in capacity building will not be in vain.”
Copyright: Fresh Angle International (www.freshangleng.com)
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