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directory.
“The subsea oil and gas industry is
faced with the deep water challenges of
what is being called the “last
frontiers” on this planet. Developing
subsea prospects in water depths up to
3,000m require outstanding engineering
skills, equipment, qualification and
extreme focus on reliability.”
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In
his welcome address, Mr. Moses
O. Kragha, INTSOK Nigeria
Country Advisor said subsea
installation draws heavily from
drilling and well services,
engineering and fabrication.
The need to develop and
patronise Nigeria’s local
content for this technology
received an overwhelming
consensus although there is
reportedly an alarming below
average use of Local Content in
the industry.
As
the subsea oil and gas directory
reports, “ the world markets for
the subsea industry is also
changing, the need to operate in
developing countries like in
West of Africa is essential for
long-term success in the subsea
oil and gas business. The
successful subsea supplier will
need to face out from the home
base and the nearest field
development to get their share
of the billions of US$ being
invested in subsea projects
every year”.
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Little
wonder that the seminar participants
were more responsive to seminar sub
topics as “Nigerian Content
Implementation strategies”, “Maximizing
Nigerian Content in the deep waters -
The Usan Model”, “Local capabilities for
design and fabrication of subsea
structures in Nigeria as a means of
meeting and exceeding expectations for
Local Content”, and “Operational
experience in West Africa: safe and
cost-effective results by merging
international expertise with Local
Content”, to mention but a few.
Mr. Sam
Adegboyega, Managing Director SOWSCO
Well Services took the participants down
memory lane of how difficult it was for
indigenous companies to obtain contracts
even though they had ample evidence to
show they were the ones executing the
same jobs as employees of multinational
companies. Time ,he said, has passed and
there was considerable improvement in
the patronage of Local Content. He
however made a clear distinction between
Nigerian Content and Local Content. To
him and his colleagues, Nigerian content
would refer to a multinational company
doing business in Nigeria with some
Nigerian employees but exporting the
profits while Local Content is an
indigenous company which uses local
labour and invests the money back home.
On
“Nigerian Content Implementation
Strategies” Engr. J. A. Akande, GGM, NCD
- NNPC who was ably represented,said
implementation has to be deliberate and
structured; there should be total
resolve and alignment in the chain of
authority to see policy
succeed;collaboration between industry
stakeholders should be encouraged; and
there is a need to have more players who
are willing to participate under the
policy. NNPC, he said , gives the
Nigerian Content definition as “ The
quantum of composite value added or
created in the Nigerian economy through
the utilization of Nigerian human and
material resources for the provision of
good and services to the petroleum
industry. Such goods and services must
be within acceptable quality, health,
safety and environmental standards in
order to stimulate the development of
indigenous capabilities”.
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