Shell Nigeria Exploration and Manufacturing Firm Restricted (SNEPCo) has launched a upkeep program on its Bonga floating oil platform, a important asset that produces greater than 225,000 barrels per day in one in all Nigeria’s most important deepwater developments.
The turnaround upkeep on the Bonga Floating Manufacturing Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel is designed to increase the ability’s operational life by 15 years and guarantee continued secure manufacturing from the offshore subject, the corporate mentioned on Sunday.
“The scheduled upkeep exercise is designed to make sure the FPSO continues to function safely and effectively for the following 15 years, whereas decreasing unplanned deferments and strengthening the asset’s general resilience,” Ronald Adams, managing director, SNEPCo mentioned in an announcement.
Operations are anticipated to renew in March following completion of the work, Adams added.
The upkeep program encompasses statutory inspections, certification processes, regulatory compliance checks, and main integrity upgrades. Engineering modifications aimed toward bettering long-term operations and subsea assurance actions are additionally included within the scope.
Positioned roughly 120 kilometers offshore in water depths exceeding 1,000 meters, the Bonga FPSO has a manufacturing capability of 225,000 barrels of oil and 150 million customary cubic ft of fuel day by day. The power performs a significant position in Nigeria’s power safety and authorities income technology.
The timing of the turnaround is strategically important for SNEPCo and its three way partnership companions. In 2024, the companions authorized a remaining funding resolution on Bonga North, a subsea tie-back improvement that can depend on the Bonga FPSO’s processing capability.
Profitable completion of the present upkeep is taken into account important for getting ready the ability to deal with further manufacturing volumes and operational necessities from the brand new improvement.
The final turnaround upkeep on the FPSO was carried out in October 2022. Three months later, in February 2023, the asset reached a milestone by delivering its one billionth barrel of oil since manufacturing started in 2005.
SNEPCo operates the Bonga subject underneath a manufacturing sharing contract with the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted (NNPC Ltd). Companions within the enterprise embrace Esso Exploration and Manufacturing Nigeria (Deepwater) Restricted and Nigerian Agip Exploration Restricted.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has struggled in recent times to take care of manufacturing ranges resulting from ageing infrastructure, theft, and underinvestment. Main upkeep packages just like the Bonga turnaround are considered as essential for sustaining output from mature fields whereas new developments come on-line.
The Bonga subject represents one in all Nigeria’s most profitable deepwater initiatives and has been a constant contributor to the nation’s oil manufacturing because the mid-2000s.
