Nigeria’s oil exports are set to decline by about 225,000 barrels per day (bpd) in February following the shutdown of the Bonga Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility for scheduled turnaround maintenance.
gas production will also drop by 150 million standard cubic feet per day during the maintenance period.
The development was confirmed by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SNEPCo) in a statement issued on Sunday. According to the company, turnaround maintenance activities have commenced on the Bonga FPSO as part of a statutory integrity assurance programme aimed at extending the facility’s operational lifespan.
SNEPCo’s Communications Manager, Mrs. Gladys Afam-Anadu, said the maintenance exercise is a routine but critical process designed to ensure the long-term safety, reliability, and efficiency of the offshore facility.
Speaking on the exercise, SNEPCo Managing Director, Mr. Ronald Adams, said the maintenance would enable the FPSO to continue operating safely and efficiently for another 15 years.
“The scheduled maintenance is designed to reduce unplanned production deferments and strengthen the asset’s overall resilience,” Adams said. “We expect to resume operations in March following the completion of the turnaround.”
Adams explained that the scope of the maintenance work includes extensive inspections, certification processes, regulatory compliance checks, integrity upgrades, engineering modifications, and subsea assurance activities. He noted that the FPSO is located approximately 120 kilometres offshore in water depths exceeding 1,000 metres.
The Bonga FPSO has a production capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil per day and can also produce 150 million standard cubic feet of gas daily, making it one of Nigeria’s most significant deep-water assets.
According to Adams, maintaining the facility is crucial to Nigeria’s production stability, energy security, and revenue objectives, particularly at a time when the country is working to stabilise crude oil output and maximise offshore investments.
He also highlighted the increased importance of the FPSO’s reliability following the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Bonga North project in 2024, noting that the turnaround maintenance would prepare the facility to handle additional volumes from the Bonga North subsea tie-back development.
“The turnaround maintenance will position the Bonga FPSO to receive and process additional production volumes from the Bonga North project,” Adams said.
The SNEPCo boss disclosed that the last turnaround maintenance on the asset was carried out in October 2022, adding that the FPSO achieved a major milestone on February 1, 2023, when it produced its one billionth barrel of oil since operations began in 2005.
SNEPCo operates the Bonga field in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria, Nigerian Agip Exploration, under a production sharing contract with NNPC Ltd.