As the Lekki Deep Sea port becomes operational in addition to existing ports, Nigeria will witness more vessels coming into the nation and a facility like the Brass Island Shipyard will create a situation where the LNG tankers and other vessels can carry out maintenance and repairs here in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote stated the above at the ongoing Nigerian Oil & Gas Opportunity Fair, NOGOF, 2023 with the theme: “Oil & Gas Industry – Catalyst and Fuel for the Industrialization of Nigeria” holding in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
This theme according to him reflects the pivotal role that the Oil and Gas Industry is expected to play in driving the economic growth and development of Nigeria.
He maintained that the shipyard will further boost our national shipbuilding, maintenance, and servicing capacity thereby earning the much-needed revenue and foreign exchange for Nigeria.
“We see opportunities on the need to put in place a dockyard of sufficient size to handle repair and maintenance requirements of marine vessels of various sizes including container ships, oil tankers, and LNG carriers”, he said.
“The Brass Island Shipyard project entails the development of 310m graving dock, 650m fitting out quay for LNG carriers, oil tankers, and cargo ships of up to 150,000DWT (Deadweight Tonnage). In a year, the shipyard will enable in-country maintenance and repairs of seven LNG vessels or oil tankers, 21 containers ships, 8 jack-ups, and 30 other vessels”, he added.
The Executive Secretary further stated that the NCDMB continues to put in place some building blocks to support value retention in-country.
He noted that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) at Odukpani in Cross River state and the one at Emeyal-1 in Bayelsa state are both at advanced stages of completion.
“There is no gainsaying that the desired level of opportunities cannot be harnessed by Nigerian companies without the domiciliation of critical infrastructure. The focus of the outgoing administration on railways, roads, bridges, airports, defence, power, and solar energy parks provides opportunities not only in the development of these infrastructures but also in the subsequent maintenance which is very critical”, he stated.
“I am delighted that some of the capacities and capabilities developed in the Oil and Gas Industry have been deployed to deliver these infrastructures. I implore other service companies not to limit their focus only on opportunities within the oil and gas industry but extend it to other sectors of the economy”, he pleaded.
Speaking on Youth Development, he said that the NCDMB has been a champion for providing opportunities for youths and women in the Oil and Gas Industry and its linkage sectors through valued training.
This training according to him provides youths – both male and female – with the requisite skill set necessary for them to participate in opportunities across different industries, especially in this technology-driven age.
“We have provided train-the-trainers programs across the country, delivered over 13 million man-hours in On-the-Job training covering sea-time for marine cadets, non-destructive testing, equipping youths in new skill sets such as GSM repair, solar power installation, and provision of entrepreneurial exposure that will ensure sustainability”, he stressed.
“With almost one million graduates, technicians, and artisans being produced every year, there is a huge need to provide Human Capacity Development programs to develop our youths and keep them engaged in productive activities”, he maintained.
“Regulation No.1 of our gazetted Ministerial Regulations provides for Training in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry. It provides for the minimum standards, facilities, personnel and technology for training in the oil and gas industry and modalities for involving operators and service providers as partners in training and development”, he revealed.
