Mrs. Allison-Madueke commissioning Africa’s largest oil vessel, “Akpevweoghen Derrik Lay Barge”.
The Company’s Executive Director, Mr. Matthew Tonlagha, however, urged 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.
In Warri, Delta State, the elated Minister while commissioning “Akpevweoghene” recently procured by FENOG Nigeria Limited, lauded the company for its massive investment on capacity building aimed at driving the Nigerian Local Content towards the right direction, held that she was impressed with FENOG on its investment that has given jobs to thousands of unemployed people in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The Petroleum Minister, in her remarks at the landmark ceremony witnessed by the Group Executive Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andy Yakubu and his Gas Resources counterpart, Dr. David Ige as well as the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engineer Ernest Nwapa, 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.
The Minister, who was conducted round and briefed about the unique features of the equipment by the company’s Executive Director, Mr. Mathew Tonlagha; Group General Manager, Mr. Bello Oboh and General Manager, Engineer Chukwudi Uwakwe, praised FENOG’S management for its steadfastness and commitment to the growth of the local content policy.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke asked other operators in the oil industry to emulate FENOG Nigeria Limited and 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.”
Earlier, Mr. Tonlagha thanked the Minister for sparing time to inaugurate the barge, adding that, “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.”
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.”
“The FENOG Offshore Pipelaying Derrick Barge, Akpevweoghene just commissioned by the Minister 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, that is the highest crane in the whole of Africa,” Mr. Tonlagha added.
It was gathered that the equipment with 387’X100’X25” dimension, is laced with state of the art facilities. It has the capacity to accommodate 300 crew members.
