The Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPC Engr. Andrew Yakubu along with the Group General Manager (GGM) NAPIMS Engr. Jonathan Okhehs, the GED Exploration and Production Dr. Joseph Dahwa paid a working visit at KAZTEC Engineering Limited fabrication yard on Snake Island Lagos yesterday. The Executive Vice Chairman of Chrome Group, who is the Chairman of KAZTEC, Sir Emeka Offor, accompanied them. In Sir Emeka’s company were Senator Ken Nnamani, Former Defense Minister of Nigeria Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) and many other important personalities and friends of Sir Emeka. ADDAX Petroleum MD, Mr. Cornelius Zegelaar, was also in the company of the visitors. 

The impressive convergence of the nations leading oil and gas Chiefs was prompted by a scheduled highly technical activities on KAZTEC’s Snake Island fabrication yard, which began on Sunday, May 18th -a process involving a load out for ADDAX Petroleum of its EBUGU BOOSTER COMPRESSOR BC-2.

The event is a major milestone for KAZTEC and it is planned to last over several days, Marc Robillard, KAZTEC’s Commercial Director said. He further said that to execute this chain of events, KAZTEC would be deploying one of its growing lists of offshore assets; particularly the pipe lay Derrick Barge nicknamed EKULO Cheyenne presently docked at the quay side. Overall dimensions of Cheyenne are 350ft in length, 100ft width and 25ft depth. The Barge, he explains is equipped with an 800-ton Manitowoc Sea crane and a 250-ton Crawler Crane on its working deck, which are critical for a successful load out maneuver.

The activities will involve the moving of a locally fabricated 90 feet pile with a diameter of 42 inches and a 1 & ½ inch thickness, he said. The pile will serve as part of the Tripod base onto which the BC-2 Compressor platform will be mounted. Additional steps include the moving of its locally fabricated integrated platform from fabrication workshops to quayside, lifting of platform onto EKULO Cheyenne, sea fastening of platform and transportation to OML 123 field, Mr. Robillard continued. In terms of the general impression on the scope of the project, Terry Glasspowl, the expert fabricator at the fabrication yard said, “Absolutely shocking”, referring to the fact that all the fabrication was carried out locally, some on Snake Island and others on a leased yard in Apapa. The GED for NNPC Exploration and Production Dr. Joseph Dahwa also called it in his own words as “shockingly impressive”. He said it is admirable to see this level of skill sets exemplified by KAZTEC Engineering Limited in Nigeria.

The GMD of NNPC, Engr. Andrew Yakubu while answering questions on his observations at KAZTEC fabrication yard, he said, “This is quite an interesting investment done by KAZTEC, and Addax alliance to boost the transformation agenda of the president as regard the oil and gas sector. This is quite a worthy investment as you can see we are talking about ANTAN brown field trade integrated with this green field investment.

We are talking of complete building of a platform... we have seen this wonderful investment success to reclaim this part of the land, which by this time last year was swamp. There is no doubt that the transformation agenda in the oil and gas sector of Mr. President is yielding significant foot as we have seen. This is a bold step by KAZTEC and we are calling on prospective stakeholders and players in this field to have faith in our economy and then invest in this regard so that we can boost the oil and gas production and exploration in the country.”

“I am impressed and this is about the biggest thing I have seen so far with so many integrated facilities and I have seen the Booster Compressor been put together here and ready to go fast. An investment in this nature to be put together in one year is very impressive. I’m told that about 534 hectares has been acquired and we could see while coming and we have got a huge land potential that can be harnessed with the key facilities that would be used to fabricate, load out and utilize these assets in upgrading and building the oil and gas sector.”

Symbolically for KAZTEC, Mr. Robillard said, “it represents the first major milestone from Snake Island for KAZTEC’s technical competence as well as an affirmation of its expertise as a provider of EPCIC-M – a “Full Turnkey Project Delivery” in Nigeria. When asked about the benefit of the load out in the overall scope of KAZTEC/ADDAX Petroleum business relationship, the Senior Vice President/Managing Director, Addax Petroleum, Mr. Cornelius Zegeelar summarized that it allows for a reinjection of gas into the reservoir. In doing so, he says, sufficient gas lift will then be available to underpin production sustainability within the OML 123 Field. In responding to the question of expected capacity of the field after the load out and installation of BC-2 Compressor, he said, “It is expected that this increase will be in the region of 6000Bbls oil per day.

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