Indigenous Oil & Gas company, First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited, otherwise known as First E&P, has pledged active support for the Bayelsa community in order to enhance the economy of the state.
This is as NNPC/FIRST E&P OMLs 83 & 85 Joint Venture (JV) announced that it had recruited five indigenes of Bayelsa State as trainees on its leased Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO), unit which is expected to start operations soon.
The gesture, according to the firm, was part of it’s social performance and community development interventions, which focused on three key areas- education, health and economic enhancement.
The company explained further that the exercise was borne out of a strong commitment to improving its environment and positively impacting lives around it.
The FPSO was leased by the JV from Yinson , world’s 6th largest FPSO leasing company, with offices around the world, including Nigeria and Ghana, for deployment on the Anyala and Madu fields within Oil Mining Leases 83 & 85, offshore Nigeria. Yinson will also be responsible for providing the operations and maintenance of the FPSO.
The five indigenes recruited from Bayelsa State represent about 42% of the persons recruited as trainees in the first batch.
According to the company, over the next few months, trainees would be exposed to both classroom teaching and practical shipyard work and FPSO systems training in Singapore.
“They will in the process earn several international certificates in the Oil & Gas and Maritime industries The training will be carried out in partnership with Keppel Shipyard, which has over a 100 years’ experience.
“ On completion of their training, trainees will possess the requisite skills and practical learning required to work in their functional areas in the offshore industry. They will also be armed with the knowledge of Yinson work systems, safety standards, policies and procedures required for their positions on board the FPSO.
“Thereafter, they will sail back with the FPSO following certain ongoing upgrade works, the company said in a statement.
FIRST E&P is the operator of the JV and holds 40% of the participating interest in the Assets while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) holds the remaining 60% participating interest in the assets.
The assets are located within the shallow offshore region of the Niger Delta and contain two main fields: Anyala field to the South East and Madu to the North-West.
