The Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI) $16 billion (N5.76 trillion) Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit (FPSO) project on Wednesday arrived in Nigerian shores from South Korea.
Mr Nicolas Terraz, the Managing Director of the company, told newsmen on the arrival of the FPSO that the journey to Nigeria started on Oct. 31, 2017 from South Korea.
Terrez said that the 330-metres long Egina FPSO is the largest FPSO ever installed in Nigeria.
The facility currently berthed at the newly built 500-metre FPSO integration quayside at Ladol Island in Lagos.
He said that the FPSO would undergo the integration of six locally fabricated modules which would take place within the next six months.
According to him, this is a first for Nigeria and in fact for Africa.
“The integration of the six locally fabricated topside modules at the SHI-MCI Yard before its final sail-away to the Egina field is a game changer as far as the execution of deep offshore oil and gas projects in the country is concerned.
“It is also a remarkable achievement in local content development in Nigeria.
“Being the first project to be launched after the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act in 2010, EGINA is advancing Nigerian content to record levels and has by far the highest quantum of local content completed for any oil and gas project in Nigeria, but also for Total’s projects worldwide,’’ he said.
The Total upstream boss said that several technological feats had been recorded by the various entities involved in the project.
“This includes two consecutive world records for the number of drilling days expended on drilling Egina wells, set by the drilling rig, West Jupiter, with duration of 22.7 and then 20.9 days respectively.
“The successful installation by the UFR contractor (Saipem) of the four production risers which are the heaviest risers ever installed in the company’s history.
“Egina is the deepest offshore development carried out so far in Nigeria, with water depths over 1,500 meters,’’ he added.
Terraz said that the EGINA FPSO has been designed for 25 years of operations to produce about 200,000 barrels of oil per day (at Plateau).
He said that the Egina operations would generate significant activities for local contractors in various sectors and continued to provide avenues for the training and development of Nigerians in various domains.
Terraz said that the Egina field was discovered by TUPNI in 2003 within the Oil Mining Licence 130 (OML130), some 200 kilometres south of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
He said that the field is being developed by TUPNI in partnership with NNPC, CNOOC, SAPETRO and PETROBRAS.
He said that the project will add 200,000 barrels per day to Nigeria’s oil production (approximately 10 per cent of the country’s total oil production.
Also speaking at the welcoming of the facility, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman explained that this will be the first time Nigeria will be handling any vessel of this huge size.
According to the NPA MD, "This FPSO, Egina has a Length Over All (LOA) of 330metres, width of 63metres and a Gross Tonnage of 219,800tons. This is the first time the NPA, and by extension, Nigeria, would be handling any vessel of this size. We therefore congratulate Total, LADOL Free Trade Zone, and Samsung Heavy Industry (SHI) for the synergy from which this venture emerged.
"We recognise that the magnitude of this project presented the NPA with the opportunity to once again showcase our unrelenting effort at building capacity to meet the needs of customers, across board. We are grateful for this unique partnership and look forward to more of such.
“This project put a demand on the NPA to facilitate the berthing of the Egina for the completion of its construction at Lagos Harbour. It also furthers the Federal Government's local content policy with multiplier effects evident in employment opportunities, capacity building, technology transfer, cost saving, reduction in capital flight as well as the attraction of oil and gas hub to Nigeria for the sub-region.
"The FPSO Egina project is an attestation to the constant infrastructural and operational preparedness of the NPA. It confirms that the NPA is equipped to serve clients efficiently now and in the foreseeable future. At NPA, we are conscious of the inherent opportunities and challenges, and the successful berthing of this huge vessel testifies to our capacity to provide improved services to the oil and gas industry.
“Over the years, the NPA has embarked on massive investments which include the purchase of four new tug boats, the dredging of our channels as well as a campaign for the removal of wrecks across our waterways. All of these have increased our capacity for effective service delivery.
"It is pertinent to note that the choice of Lagos for this project is a confirmation of the good reasoning behind the Federal Government policy on liberalising oil and gas logistics operations in the country. The implication of this is that, like the one under focus, can be replicated at any port location of investors choice.
“For the oil and gas industry in particular, the NPA promises to support and enhance global and national trade by enabling all clients to land their cargoes
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