Total’s newly-built Floating Production, Storage and Off-Loading (FPSO) Egina.

The Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI) $16 billion (N5.76 trillion) Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit (FPSO) project on Wednesday arrived 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.

NAN reports that Egina is the largest investment project currently on-going in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

The project is expected to be completed in fourth quarter of 2018 within the initial budget of 16 billion dollars.

Mr Roland Ewubare, the Group General Manager (GGM) of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), commended Total Upstream on the historic successful project of Egina, FPSO which he said was the first in Nigeria.

Ewubare, however, urged stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to ensure total collaboration in moving the project beyond its present stage.

According to him, Nigeria’s oil and gas industry has today recorded another milestone with the arrival in the country of the $16 billion dollar FPSO vessel for the 200,000 barrels per day capacity Egina deepwater oilfield from South Korea. (NAN)

Meanwhile, the Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) urged all stakeholders to ensure strict compliance with the country’s statutory rules and regulations on the operation of newly-built FPSO Egina.

The Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Usman, made the plea on Wednesday while welcoming the new FPSO Egina at the LADOL Oil and Gas premises in Lagos.

Usman said that the FPSO vessel to be received by NPA and Nigeria by extension showed that NPA could handle any vessel of such size.

She commended Total, LADOL Free Zone, the Trade Zone and Samsung Heavy Industry (SHI) for the synergy through which the Egina emerged.

“Over the past couple of months, NPA has embarked on massive investment which included the purchase of four tug boats, the dredging of channels, as well as campaign for the removal of wrecks across the nation’s waterways.

“We are doing all these to increase our capacity for effective service delivery.

“It is important to note that the choice of Lagos for this project is a confirmation of the good reasoning behind the Federal Government’s Policy on Liberalisation of Oil and Gas Logistics operations.

“We as a result, encourage prospective investors to explore this and other opportunities that the reform of our operations had engendered, as we assure of NPA’s willingness to facilitate these ventures,’’ Usman said.

For the oils and this in particular, NPA has promised to support and enhance global and national trade by enabling all clients to land their cargo directly at the Free Trade Zone.

She said that the project would provide the hub for the oil and gas supply chain within the sub-region.

Usman commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi and the entire Federal Government for their support towards the project.

She also commended the support of the Board of Directors of NPA, as well as all the government sister agencies for their continuous collaboration.

Also speaking, the Executive Chairman of LADOL Oil and Gas, Mr Oladapo Jadesimi, said that arrival of Egina FPSO being the largest vessel ever to berth in West Africa, was a big step towards achieving the vision and mission of the nation.

“Our shipyard is now on course to create 50,000 new jobs and attract billions of dollars in additional investment across the country.

“This success is only possible due to the enabling environment and a level playing field ushered in by President Buhari and implemented by the NPA under the leadership of Ms Hadiza Usman.

“Over $500 million had been privately invested into LADOL, turning a disused swamp into a world-class industrial free zone,’’ he said.