Nigeria has caught up with Angola in crude oil drilling, as the two countries are now the largest crude oil drilling markets in Africa, according to Offshore Rigs Tracker data for June 2023, published Monday by Hawilti and Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc. .
Nigeria has repeatedly lost its position as Africa's leading oil producer due to repeated crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, but is now showing signs of recovery, according to recent monthly oil production figures released by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
« Le Nigeria a rattrapé l’Angola pour prendre également la position de plus grand marché de forage cette année, avec un total de huit campagnes de forage confirmées en mer dans les deux pays. »
« Cependant, l’activité devrait rester plus élevée en Angola, car la plupart des campagnes de forage y sont déjà confirmées jusqu’au second semestre 2024 pour soutenir les forages d’exploration, de remplissage et de développement », indique le rapport.
He reported that several of the oil rigs mobilized offshore Nigeria had been extended, including the Valaris DS-10 for SNEPCo (Shell) and the Shelf Drillings Baltic and Mentor platforms, for TotalEnergies and First E&P, respectively.
In addition, he said that Shelf Drilling had also secured new contracts for the Adriatic I and Sceptre units, giving a boost to Nigeria's offshore drilling activities.
« Le premier concerne le forage sur le champ Ebok d’Oriental Energy Resources prévu entre mai et août de cette année, tandis que le second concerne un contrat beaucoup plus long de deux ans pour un opérateur non divulgué.
« Au total, le Nigeria verra huit campagnes de forage offshore avoir lieu cette année à tout moment, ce qui le placera au même niveau que l’Angola », indique le rapport.
He said the southern African country of Angola had long held the position of the continent's top drilling destination, as international oil companies had mobilized several rigs there on long-term contracts to support infill drilling, development and deepwater exploration.
"The recovery of offshore drilling activity in Nigeria is good news as the industry continues to be the main driver of the Nigerian economy. This in turn offers unique opportunities for aviation service providers to seek growth opportunities and provide safe and sustainable solutions for transporting workers and equipment to offshore rigs and platforms.
« Une telle activité de marché contribue également au développement d’autres secteurs tels que la recherche et le sauvetage, le transport VIP et les services d’affrètement exécutifs », a déclaré le Capt Ibrahim Bello, directeur général de Caverton Helicopters, dans le rapport de suivi des plates-formes pétrolières.
Offshore Rigs Tracker offers the African oil industry the ability to track rig movements and drilling campaigns offshore Sub-Saharan Africa, covering only offshore drilling activities (shallow and deep water) and not land or swamp areas.
Published quarterly by Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc in partnership with Hawilti Ltd, the tracker serves as an indicator of upstream dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa, for both exploration and production.
The report further states that the number of offshore rigs in Africa has grown steadily since the start of 2023, with 38 rigs under contract this year so far.
He said that recent contract extensions and new contract awards had confirmed that 2023 was one of the biggest years for offshore drilling activity on the continent in a decade.
French oil major TotalEnergies, according to the report, was the most active offshore operator in Africa this year, with a total of eight platforms mobilized throughout 2023, including three in Angola, two in Nigeria, two in Namibia and one in West Africa. whose destination has yet to be revealed.
« Au Nigeria, TotalEnergies a également foré le prospect en eaux peu profondes de Ntokon Central sur l’OML 102, où il a récemment annoncé une découverte significative. »
"Most importantly, it is executing a multi-well deepwater campaign on its Egine and Akpo hubs within OML 130. Egine in particular is experiencing a rapid decline in production, which the drilling campaign aims to remedy. Up to nine wells are planned on both Egina and Akpo, including potential exploratory drilling of nearby prospects," says the report.
A breakdown of the number of platforms mobilized on the continent in 2023 showed that West Africa had 16, Southern Africa 13, Central Africa 11 and East Africa 0.
It was observed that offshore drilling campaigns remained largely led by international oil companies this year, in particular TotalEnergies and Eni, as most drilling activity was located in deep water where IOCs held the bulk of their production and exploration portfolio.
Le rapport indique qu’en Afrique de l’Ouest, « le Nigeria est enfin de retour aux affaires avec la plupart des calendriers de forage prolongés et de nouveaux contrats signés depuis le début de l’année.
"Above all, the country has two active deepwater platforms this year, including the Valaris DS-10 for SNEPCO (Shell) at its Bonga hub (OML 118) until the first quarter of 2024, and the Gerry de Souza for TotalEnergies at its Aegina and Akpo hubs ( OML 130).