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NEWS IN BRIEF
AfrOil
business new africa bna/IntelliNews
Wabote commissions
Grephil nuts and bolts
factory in Port Harcourt
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote on Monday commis- sioned Grephil International Ltd’s factory in Port Harcourt Rivers State, which will manufacture bolts, nuts, fittings, flanges and carry out valve calibration, sand blasting and related services.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secre- tary commended the company for expanding its operations beyond the oil and gas industry and delivering services to customers in the petro- chemical, power and manufacturing industries.
He expressed delight that capacities and capa- bilities that were developed in the oil and gas sec- tor were now being deployed to other sectors of the economy in line with the Nigerian Content 10-year Strategic Roadmap.
While lauding Grephil International Limited for contributing to the goal of achieving 70% Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry by the year 2027, he noted that Nigerian oil and gas service companies are pivotal to the provision of services for the sustenance and growth of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
According to him “the Nigerian Content growth trajectory requires that investments in local supply-chain are encouraged while oppor- tunities for patronage of the products and ser- vices are stimulated using the provisions of the NOGICD Act 2010.”
The Nigerian Content Chieftain also charged the company to ensure that its safety standards are sustained and improved upon regularly through self-checks, self-regulation, continuous improvements, and external audits in line with the Board’s push for patronage of local busi- nesses without compromising standards and best practices.
He also thanked international oil and gas companies for supporting local businesses and supporting the successful implementation of Nigerian Content.
He further noted that the factory was a show
of resilience as Grephil International Limited is slowly and steadily making its mark in the pro- vision of top-notch services to diverse clientele in the industry and is a welcome addition to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) ecosystem that the Board has been supporting over the years as part of its 10-year strategic roadmap.
He further lauded the company for its in-depth knowledge of both local and interna- tional business terrain through the streamlining of its services into manufacturing of threaded bars, stud bolts, nuts, washers, gaskets, fittings and flanges.
Wabote pointed out that Rivers State hosts the largest concentration of oil and gas service providers in Nigeria and commended the efforts of the state government for creating the enabling environment for businesses to initiate and com- plete their growth plans within the city rather than relocate to other states.
Delivering his welcome address, the Manag- ing Director and CEO of Grephil International Ltd, Prince Gregory Ezechukwu hinted that the company began to domesticate products of its OEMs over a decade ago, starting with the pro- duction of bolts and nuts, PTFE coating, and electro-plating standards.
He announced plans to expand the prod- uct lines and services into line pipes, anodes for cathodic protection, assembling of valves, among others in line with the Nigerian Content development policy.
The company’s chief executive listed the chal- lenges facing manufacturers such as unreliable power supply, high tariff on raw materials and equipment, customs clearance bottlenecks, high government taxes, and persistent climate of inse- curity, among others. He expressed concern that if these was not adequately addressed, it might halt the entire manufacturing process.
While imploring the Board to support in gal- vanising more patronage from the international IOCs to sustain company’s production capacity, he commended the Rivers State Government for the enduring peaceful coexistence they have with the host community.
The Managing Director also acknowledged the patronage the company has so far enjoyed
from NNPC, NLNG and other IOCs like Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies Nigeria, Addax Petroleum, SEPLAT, and operating com- panies such as DAEWOO Nigeria and SAIPEM.
Present at the commissioning were repre- sentatives from NLNG, NAOC. Eraskon Nigeria Limited, Grand Pyramid Cargo Services, Man- ufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and TotalEnergies Nigeria represented by the Deputy Manager, Nigerian Content Division and Chair- man, NCDMB Committee on Bolts and Flanges for In-country Manufacturing, Cyprian Ojum. NCDMB, August 10 2022
Saipem awarded three new EPC contracts in Angola
Saipem has been awarded three new contracts (one onshore and two offshore) by the New Gas Consortium composed by two wholly owned subsidiaries of Azule Energy (Eni Angola Explo- ration B.V. and BP Exploration (Angola) Ltd), Sonangol P&P, Chevron, TotalEnergies, for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) activities relevant to the Quiluma and Maboqueiro fields development project off the north-west coast of Angola.
With an overall value of around $900mn, Saipem is taking care of the engineering, pro- curement and construction, including hook-up and commissioning assistance, of the Quiluma platform and of the relevant onshore natural gas-processing plant. This confirms customers’ trust in Saipem for the execution of complex pro- jects both in terms of technology and logistics, carried out in line with local content and with the highest environmental sustainability standards. In particular, this is the first project carried out in Angola relevant to a Non-Associated Gas field.
The participation in the said development initiatives in the Lower Congo Basin, that will provide the Angola LNG plant with additional gas volumes for both international and domes- tic market, consolidates Saipem’s strategic posi- tioning in West Africa and in Angola, where the company has been working for over 40 years.
Saipem is an advanced technological and engineering platform for the design, construc- tion and operation of safe and sustainable com- plex infrastructure and plants.
Saipem has always been oriented towards technological innovation and is currently com- mitted, alongside its clients, on the frontline of energy transition with increasingly digitalised tools, technologies and processes that were devised from the outset with environmental sus- tainability in mind. It is listed on the Milan stock exchange and operates in 73 countries around the world with 32,000 employees from 130 dif- ferent nationalities.
Saipem, August 11 2022
Week 32 11•August•2022
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