Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) has commenced a major turnaround maintenance exercise at the Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the company announced on Sunday.
The maintenance, described as a statutory and integrity assurance programme, is aimed at extending the life of the FPSO and ensuring safe, efficient operations for the next 15 years.
“The schedule maintenance activity is designed to reduce unplanned deferments and strengthen the asset’s overall resilience,” SNEPCo Managing Director Ronald Adams said.
He added that operations are expected to resume in March following the completion of the turnaround.
According to SNEPCo, the scope of work includes statutory inspections, certification and regulatory compliance checks, major asset integrity upgrades, engineering modifications, and subsea assurance activities.
Located approximately 120 kilometers offshore in water depths exceeding 1,000 meters, the Bonga FPSO has the capacity to produce 225,000 barrels of oil and 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
Maintaining its integrity is essential to supporting stable production and advancing Nigeria’s energy, security, and revenue objectives.
The company noted that this year’s turnaround is strategically timed to support the Bonga North subsea tie-back development, whose additional production volumes will depend on the FPSO’s enhanced capacity.
The last turnaround was conducted in October 2022, and on February 1, 2023, the facility celebrated the delivery of its 1 billionth barrel of oil since production began in 2005.
SNEPCo operates the Bonga field in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited, under a Production Sharing Contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).
