By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Bonga crude oil export terminal has been shut due to the commencement of the routine maintenance.
The nation’s crude oil export terminal, which is operated by Shell Nigeria, would hopefully be ready in record time, according to port sources.
The operator, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), on Tuesday said that the maintenance on the Bonga floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) began on May 21.
“The scope includes statutory recertification and critical asset integrity activities and will run until July during which there will be a few days of total shutdown,” SNEPCo said.
The maintenance is expected to help ensure sustained production and reduced unscheduled production deferments. The turnaround maintenance will involve inspections, recertification, testing and repair of equipment as well as engineering upgrades with Nigerian companies and subsea professional playing key roles.
Bonga was scheduled to load four cargoes in June, or 127,000 barrels per day up slightly from May at 123,000 barrels per day.
It has a production capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil daily and 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
Bonga is Nigeria’s first deep water development in depths of more than 1,000 metres and is located 120 kilometers offshore Nigeria.
SNEPCO expanded the project with further drilling of wells in Bonga phases 2 and 3 and through a subsea tie-back that unlocked the nearby Bonga North West field in August 2014. Bonga Phase 3 achieved first oil October 2015.
Dipo Olowookere