The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has said the local upgrade of the FPSO Tamara Nanaye, a Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel, at the Laudo yard in Apapa, Lagos, will boost the country’s oil production.
The FPSO Tamara Nanaye upgrade was described as the first of its kind in the nation’s history, being a sophisticated project executed entirely within the country, marking the second time in Africa that an FPSO will undergo such modifications, with the first being in South Africa over two decades ago.
Lokpobiri, while inspecting the new components that will transform the FPSO as it gets modified, commended the various stakeholders involved in the project, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its subsidiaries and private sector partners like WAEP Century Group, Dangote Industries, and Access Bank.
“I am highly impressed with what I have seen here today. This is exactly what Nigeria needs at this critical time in our development. Our goal is to boost oil production to over 2 million barrels per day, and this kind of investment in local capacity is a key part of achieving that goal,” he said.
The FPSO Tamara Nanaye is scheduled to be deployed to the Kalaekule field in OML 71/72 after its modifications are complete.
The deployment is expected to increase Nigeria’s production output by 40,000 barrels of oil per day and 50 million standard cubic feet of gas.
The Chief Executive Officer of Century Group, Ken Etete, explained that the FPSO, originally designed for deep water operations in Australia, was brought to Nigeria in 2016 and deployed to OML 113, where it was produced until November 2022.
For its new role in the Kalaekule field’s shallow waters, Etete said significant upgrades were being made to its topsides, hull for structural integrity and mooring system.
Etete noted that the in-country modifications were a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, as they were being executed almost entirely with local resources.
“This is a very unique project. For the first time, we are doing an in-country upgrade using Nigerian manpower, which not only benefits the economy but also increases the skill set of our local workforce,” he added.
The project is projected for completion by the first quarter of 2025, with expectations that the Tamara Nanaye would significantly enhance Nigeria’s oil output.
