Off Nigeria

Exxon Mobil Makes Major Find Off Nigeria

Exxon Mobil Corp. made a major oil and gas discovery in the deepwater off the coast of Nigeria. Located about 100 miles southeast of Lagos, the discovery well, Erha-1, was drilled from December 1998 to February 1999. Exxon Mobil said the appraisal well, Erha-2, stood in 3,860 feet of water and was drilled to a total depth of 12,287 feet. It tested at a flow rate of 2,800 barrels per day. As operator, Exxon will hold a 56.25 percent participating interest and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Co., a unit of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, will a hold 43.75 percent stake. Including the Erha find, Exxon Mobil holds an interest in 44 deepwater blocks in West Africa. So far the company and its partners have reported 15 discoveries from these blocks, with a recoverable reserve potential of six billion oil equivalent barrels.

Tankship Looted, Released by Pirates in Gulf of Guinea

Tankship 'Energy Centurion' has been released east of Lagos, Nigeria, after theft of 3,000 tons of oil, now heading for a safe port.   An official with Golden Energy Management, the Greek company that chartered the ship, told CNN that the Energy Centurion was released Thursday, some 60 miles east of Lagos, Nigeria, and was steaming toward a safe port. The official said all 24 crew members -- mostly Russian -- who are still on board the ship are safe

Hyundai Heavy, Nigeria to Set up LNG Shipping Firm

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's biggest shipbuilder, said on Wednesday it will set up a shipping firm with Nigeria's state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) to deliver liquefied natural gas. Hyundai will own 49 percent stake in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) joint venture shipping company, to be named Nigeria Korea Marine (NIKORMA) Transport Ltd., while NNPC will own 51 percent. The shipbuilder will eventually deliver crude and oil products after initially

Nigeria Sees Future In Deep Offshore Fields

Nigeria's deep offshore fields showed more promise for oil finds than fields closer to shore, a senior Nigerian official said. Of the 18 wells drilled recently in Nigerian waters less than 1,000 m deep, 11 were dry. Of the 11 drilled in water over that depth, only two were dry, Funsho Kupolokun, special adviser on oil to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, said. Kupolokun said Nigeria expects to extract up to 850 trillion barrels from only four of its deep offshore fields

Total Goes Deep Off Nigeria

Total reportedly launched its second Nigerian deep water drilling project, scheduled to come on stream in 2012 and expected eventually to yield 180,000 barrels a day, according to an AFP report. The new Usan project follows Total's first Nigerian deep water investment, the Akpo field. Deep water fields are further out to sea than offshore fields in shallower waters nearer the coastline. The new field will be operated by Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited, a Total subsidiary

Saipem Wins $1.5B E&C Offshore Contracts

 In Iraq, Saipem has been awarded by South Oil Company the EPIC contract for the Iraq Crude Oil Export Expansion Project – Phase 2, within the framework of the expansion of the Basra Oil Terminal, off the Al Faw Peninsula in the Arabian Gulf, approximately 550 kilometres south-east of Baghdad. The contract encompasses the engineering, procurement, fabrication and installation of a Central Metering and Manifold Platform (CMMP), to be installed in a water depth of 28 metres

Kidnappers Attack Plant, Navy Ship

Militants holding nine foreign hostages in southern Nigeria attacked another oil facility today and blew up a military vessel in ongoing violence that has cut about 20 percent of crude production in Africa's oil giant. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta attacked a Shell-operated pipeline switching station and a navy vessel in the oil-rich southern region. Nigeria is reeling from weekend attacks in which militants blasted pipelines and sabotaged a key oil loading terminal

Total Says Nigeria’s Oil Bill Will Hurt Industry

According to a September 21 report from the Associated Press, a top official at French oil major Total SA warned that a proposal to overhaul Nigeria's oil industry would hobble foreign investment, just as the firm prepares to bring a major offshore field into production. Analysts said the petroleum bill would sharply reduce the profits of foreign oil companies like Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Total, all of whom have subsidiaries operating oil fields in Nigeria

Potential Port Problems in Nigeria

According to a report on http://www.thenationonlineng.net, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) today threatened to shut down seaports to protest the planned establishment of another body--Maritime Security and Safety Agency. MWUN stated this in a petition signed by its President, Tony Nted and Secretary-General, Aham Ubani, and sent to Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan. The petition, which made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos

Offshore Nigeria Contract for Aker Solutions

Aker Solutions signed a contract with ExxonMobil for the supply of subsea umbilicals for the Erha North phase two development in Nigeria. The Erha North phase two development is an extension of the existing Erha subsea system and infrastructure located approximately 97 kilometers offshore Nigeria in water depths between 1,000 and 1,200 meters. Aker Solutions' scope of work includes the delivery of two dynamic and two static steel tube umbilicals, at a total length of 16.5 kilometers