GE Oil & Gas Completes the First Complete Refurbishment of a Subsea Production Tree in Nigeria
GE Oil & Gas has completed the first refurbishment of subsea production trees at its service base in Onne, Nigeria, highlighting GE’s commitment to investing in Nigeria and demonstrating the high-value services offered close to our customers’ operations. The milestone was achieved under a contract awarded by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo.)
The GE team of trained Nigerian engineers successfully dis-assembled the subsea trees to component parts before repairing and rebuilding them in accordance with customer requirements. The refurbishment program includes incoming deck-testing and an integrated performance test after refurbishment.The milestone was disclosed by Mr. Uzo Nwagwu, Chief Operating Officer of GE Oil & Gas in Nigeria. It is the first time a production tree has been completely refurbished in Nigeria.
Mr. Nwagwu said: “The development demonstrates GE’s commitment to localizing operations in Nigeria through capacity development, technology transfer and capital investment. This is resulting in the creation of high quality employment in the O&G sector in Nigeria.”
In support of this program, last year, GE Oil & Gas unveiled the recruitment of 30 engineers and technicians, some of whom were sent to GE facilities in Brazil for training. Here, they acquired the skillsets required to support tree repair and for local assembly and testing of new equipment. Thousands of man-hours and hundreds of spare parts, procured by the local team, were used in the refurbishment of the first tree. More than $1.5 million was spent with Nigerian sub-suppliers supporting various parts of the workscope for each tree.
Lazarus Angbazo, President and CEO of GE Nigeria said “GE Oil & Gas is continuously seeking to increase the competitiveness of the solutions for the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The Tree Refurbishment Program will give Nigeria-based operators the opportunity to buy locally, avoid delivery delays and save cost while supporting the growth of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”
“The delivery of the first fully refurbished subsea tree system in Nigeria is another example of how we can deploy partnerships to strengthen local capacity in the country’s subsea oil and gas sector,” said SNEPCo Managing Director, Tony Attah. He added: “We’re indeed pleased to be part of this pioneering effort which promises to deliver projects on time, safely and within cost estimates.”
Operating since 2002, GE’s purpose-built facility in Onne is the first quayside facility of its calibre in Nigeria. It has an exceptional safety record with a 10 year record of operating with no loss time due to injury. The facility is a cornerstone of GE’s commitment to Nigeria’s Oil & Gas industry. The site provides complete assembly, testing and life cycle service for subsea tree systems, subsea control modules, specialty connectors and pipes. It also includes a dedicated on-site training center and offers broad business development opportunities for local suppliers.