Nigeria News

Shell is stepping back from new offshore wind investments and is splitting its power division following an extensive review of the business that was once seen as a key driver of the company's energy transition strategy.The changes are part of a company-wide review launched in 2023 aimed at reducing costs as CEO Wael Sawan focuses on activities with the highest returns. In many cases that has meant reducing spending on low-carbon and renewable businesses and increasing the focus on oil…

Nigerdock has completed an agreement with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for the commencement and expansion of Snake Island Port, an 85-hectare, multipurpose port facility comprising three terminals located within Snake Island Integrated Free Zone. The approval for the project was granted in 2023 by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which has oversight on the implementation of major infrastructure projects across the country. The concession is for a period of 45 years with an optional extension.Nigerdock Chairman and CEO…

Russian drone and missile attacks have damaged 321 Ukrainian port infrastructure facilities since July last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.Twenty merchant ships belonging to other countries were also damaged by Russian strikes, he added."Overall, Ukrainian food exports provide food for 400 million people in 100 countries around the world," Zelenskiy said. "Food prices in Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, and other countries in Africa directly depend on whether farmers…

At least five cargoes of LNG have diverted from Asia to Europe in the past few days, drawn by higher gas prices on the continent after Russia's Gazprom halted supplies to Austria's OMV, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.On Saturday Gazprom halted supplies to top Austrian gas importer OMV after OMV threatened to impound some of the Russian state firm's gas as compensation for an arbitration it had won over a contractual dispute.Gazprom notified OMV of the planned halt on Friday…

Nigeria and India on Sunday agreed to deepen collaboration in maritime security, intelligence and counter-terrorism during a state visit to the West African country by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Modi is the first Indian premier to visit Nigeria in 17 years after an invitation by President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking investments from some of the world's biggest economies.Modi arrived in the capital Abuja on Saturday night and met Tinubu at the presidential villa on Sunday where the two leaders also discussed economic development, defence, healthcare and food security, a joint statement

Esgian highlights that operators in Norway are preparing new wells for Odfjell Drilling, COSL and Saipem semisubs in its Week 41 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsShelf Drilling has secured new contracts for its 350-ft jackups Shelf Drilling Achiever and Adriatic I offshore Nigeria.Drilling Activity and DiscoveriesThe Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet) has received an application from Aker BP for permission under the Pollution Act to drill the delineation well 25/1-14 Omega Alfa in the North Sea…

Esgian has no rig contracts to announced but provides an update on rig moves and drilling operations in the US Gulf of Mexico, Canada, Morocco and Norway in its Week 38 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryDrilling Activity and DiscoveriesExxonMobil has abandoned the Persephone C-54 well on EL 1169 in the Orphan Basin offshore Newfoundland, Canada.Seadrill’s 12,000-ft drillship West Neptune has resumed drilling operations on LLOG’s Who Dat South exploration well in the US Gulf of Mexico…

Esgian provides an update on new jack-up contracts in the North Sea and Nigeria in its Week 33 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsBorr Drilling 400-ft jackup Prospector 1 has secured a contract extension with ONE-Dyas for work offshore the UK and the Netherlands, scheduled to run from February to April 2025.Shelf Drilling 300-ft jackup Harvey H. Ward has received a notice of suspension from Saudi Aramco for up to one year.Shelf Drilling 350-ft jackup Shelf Drilling…

Nigeria's oil output has risen to between 1.6 million and 1.7 million barrels per day after the government beefed up security to curb crude theft, Chief of Naval Staff Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla said on Tuesday.Crude production in Nigeria, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), stood at 1.2 million barrels per day in February, Ogalla said. Oil major Shell has exited the country."We have stepped up surveillance and enforcement in the oil producing areas…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) announced the awardees for the 11th Annual Student Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry. Winning teams receive monetary awards and are invited to speak about their work at an international conference; this year- the venue will be Interferry’s 48th annual conference, to be held in Marrakesh on October 28-29, 2024. For this year's WFSA competition, the Terms of Reference (TOR) called for a RoPax vessel to accommodate 150-200 passengers, as well as space for cargo and 15-20 four-wheeler vehicles, which could include lorries and trucks.

Each year, criminals try to smuggle countless stolen vehicles through U.S. ports, attempting to load them onto merchant vessels for destinations overseas.The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been cracking down on these efforts. During fiscal year 2023 (Oct.1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023), CBP recovered 1,316 stolen vehicles nationally before they could be exported from the United States—an increase of about 6.5%.To help stop the thieves, CBP performs rigorous import and export examinations.

Energy and marine consultancy ABL has been appointed by Eni to provide marine warranty survey services (MWS) for the offshore transportation and installation (T&I) campaign for Phase 2 of the Marine XII Congo LNG development project.Phase 2 of the project envisages the fabrication, transportation and installation of a new floating LNG vessel (FLNG), a converted floating separation, storage and booster unit (FSU), wellhead platforms and associated tie-in pipelines and ancillaries…

Esgian provides an update on Noble and Diamond Offshore’s announcement of merger plans in its Week 24 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsADES has completed the signing of a drilling contract for a jackup with Suez Oil Company (SUCO) in Egypt.Mergers & AcquisitionsNoble Corporation and Diamond Offshore Drilling have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Noble will acquire Diamond in a stock plus cash transaction. As part of the transaction, Diamond shareholders will receive 0.2316 shares of Noble…

Imports of straight-run fuel oil (SRFO) to the U.S Gulf Coast were set to climb to record levels this month as Mideast and African suppliers ramped up exports and U.S. refiners scrambled for heavy feedstocks, according to data from ship tracker Kpler.The increased imports of SRFO, a feedstock processed through secondary refining units and turned into products like gasoline and diesel, have helped fill a gap in heavy crude availability facing U.S. refiners.Supplies of heavy crude tightened after Mexico curtailed oil exports…

Esgian provides an update on new commitments confirmed for Odfjell Drilling and Borr Drilling rigs and new tender opportunities emerging in Africa in its Week 21 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsEquinor has exercised an option to extend the use of Odfjell Drilling’s 10,000-ft Deepsea Aberdeen for a batch of eight wells on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. With this, Odfjell Drilling’s owned fleet of four semisubs has a firm backlog until at least mid-2026.Borr Drilling has confirmed new work for its 400-ft jackup Prospector 1 in the UK and the Netherlands…

Esgian provides an update on Saudi suspensions in its Week 20 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsDrilling contractor Arabian Drilling confirmed that the suspension of three contracts for its jackups with Saudi Aramco have yet to be finalised but are expected to take effect towards the end of the third quarter of 2024. CEO Ghassan Mirdad stated that the company is actively exploring opportunities to redeploy these rigs with other clients. Arabian Drilling announced…

Esgian reports another busy week filled with a variety of updates, including new offshore acreage offered in the UK, Norway and Nigeria, in its Week 19 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsADES Holding Company has received a direct award of a contract from Suez Oil Company (SUCO) in Egypt. The SUCO award in Egypt’s Gulf of Suez is for a firm 21-month term expected to start in the coming weeks.Noble 492-ft jackup Noble Innovator has been awarded a one-well extension with bp in UK waters at a dayrate of $145…

South African Nouum Engineering, a provider of diesel engine services for marine, power, locomotive and generators globally, and Mauritius-based ship repair and conversion yard Taylor Smith Shipyard (TSS) have signed a cooperation agreement, expanding both companies’ commercial and operational scopes.As a part of the agreement, Nouum Engineering will be focusing on the repair and maintenance of marine engines and related equipment, such as turbochargers and automation systems, a growth market for Taylor Smith Shipyards.

Nigeria secured a $600 million investment in seaport infrastructure from Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk, the presidency said in a statement on Sunday.The investment was secured during a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Moller-Maersk Chairman Robert Maersk Uggla on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia."We believe in Nigeria, and we will invest $600 million in existing facilities and make the ports accommodating for bigger ships," the Nigerian presidency quoted Uggla as saying during the meeting.Nigeria has promised to revamp its ports…

Esgian reports shifts in demand in its Week 13 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report overview:ContractsADES has received a Letter of Intent (LOI) from PTTEP Energy Development Company Limited for an 18-month jackup drilling contract in the Gulf of Thailand. Operations are expected to begin in the second half of 2024, with an unspecified jackup.Drilling Activity and DiscoveriesThe Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) has granted Aker BP a drilling permit for an exploration well in…

Esgian reports that offshore drilling contractors secured additional backlog in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, Nigeria, and Brazil and operators confirmed new discoveries in Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire, and China in its Week 10 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.ContractsDiamond Offshore has executed a two-year contract extension with a subsidiary of bp in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the 12,000-ft drillship Ocean BlackHornet.Shelf Drilling’s 250-ft jackup Rig 141 has secured a two-year…

Oslo-listed offshore service company Argeo has informed that its DP2 vessel Argeo Searcher completed the deepwater inspection services at Shell’s Bonga field, and is scheduled to set sail to Indian Ocean for a job with India’s National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).In a vessel schedule update, released on January 22, 2024, Argeo confirmed its current backlog includes close to $53 million (NOK 550 million), with a further sales and revenue potential of additional $19 million (NOK 200) million for Argeo Searcher vessel in the second half of 2024.According to the company…

Esgian's last roundup of the year for the Week 52 puts spotlight on new developments for Dolphin Drilling semisub, Seadrill drillships, as well as Shell’s plans for Australia and ONGC’s new tender for jackups in India.ContractsDolphin Drilling has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with an undisclosed operator for the 1,500-ft semisubmersible Borgland Dolphin to undertake a 500-day drilling campaign in the UK. The drilling campaign is planned to begin directly after the firm part of the contract period with EnQuest, which was announced in late November 2023.