The efforts of the Nigerian Content Board, with the advent of the NOGICD Act, in developing capacity in-country to support the construction, operation and maintenance of oil and gas industry assets in the production life cycle of service operators’ facilities has brought about a corresponding commitment on their part to justify investment in local facilities and infrastructure that would perform industry work, create opportunities for on-the-job training and build opportunities for knowledge and innovation through research and development.
In realization of this developmental objective to comprehensively surmount the challenges of an age-old mindset driven by sustained multinational control focused primarily on oil and gas revenue generation through exporting Nigerian jobs to foreign countries and procurement of ready-made goods and services from foreign sources rather than develop in-country value creation, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB undertook a facility visit of Kaztec Engineering Limited.
The Executive Secretary, Engr. Ernest Nwapa who led a team of NCDMB and Addax delegates to the facilities expressed delight at the extent of work done at Kaztec Engineering fabrication yard at Apapa and the proposed site of the fabrication/industrial complex and skills training centre situated at Snake Island on the outskirts of Lagos. Engr. Nwapa stressed that industrialization was realizable through Nigerian Content and enjoined Kaztec to take into serious consideration the capacity development initiative of the Board to grow technical skills for the oil and gas industry and allied sectors.
Conducting the team round its maiden facility on Apapa leased from Grand Marine for pre-lodging of all its logistics operations, the Alliance Manager, Mr. John Nziermer indicated that Kaztec had its first contract with Addax since 2010 which gave rise to a sub-leasing facility arrangement with Grand Marine that has a long term lease with the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA .
Mr. Nziermer explained that the processes of pre-cutting the steel and fabrication was carried out at the Apapa yard while the assembling of various components was at Snake Island. He noted that fabrication at the facility began on June 1, 2013 with a target to have the majority of the fabrication works finished within a month.
The Alliance Manager opined, ‘it is our desire to be one of the foremost EPCI companies in Nigeria’. On capacity development, he estimated that 50 Nigerians were currently on the Apapa facility while 100 were at Snake Island with a projection of increased indigenous opportunities when the industrial complex is fully operational.
Enumerating the project scopes and steel tonnages that will be executed in the new Kaztec yard on Snake Island, the Commercial Director, Mr. Marc Robillard affirmed that not only will this new world class facility be ready to start the first two projects which include the Booster Compressor-2 and Antan project comprising jack and deck as well as offshore pipeline , in early September 2013 but will be the first 100% indigenous EPIC (Engineering, Procurement, Fabrication and Offshore Installation, full Turnkey) company that will deliver complex offshore and onshore oil and gas projects.
Mr. Robillard stated of note that Kaztec Engineering importantly offers a much reduced cost to developments thereby opening the door to the development of marginal offshore fields currently held back because of excessive cost and cycle times to delivery. A development, he stated, that has helped Addax, the Nigerian oil and gas industry as well as the Nigerian workforce through direct and indirect labour. The Commercial Director, however, solicited Kaztec Engineering Limited’s request for their facility to be granted Pioneer Status.
The company’s other notable flagship projects as proposed, however, are the Gas and Export and Flares Down project earmarked for December 2014 in line the Federal Government’s policy on gas flaring and utilization and the Udele Ofrima project expected to commence in February 2016.
