Acting Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, recently spoke with Sweet Crude’s Godfrey Bivbere, on several issues affecting the maritime industry. Amongst these are the situation of its zonal offices, proposed construction of truck transit parks, indiscriminate increase in storage charges, the situation of CRFFN, others. Excerpt:

Owners of illegal structures along the right of way of power transmission lines have been warned of an impending demolition. Mr. James Olotu, the Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), owners of National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), gave the warning recently in an interview with newsmen. Olotu, who commissioned the 600 MVA injection sub-station at Oke-Aro, Ogun State, was speaking against the backdrop of some illegal structures erected along the right of way of the project.

PORT HARCOURT: MINISTER of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, has again assured that privatization of the power sector would step up power supply in the country.

The notorious incompetence of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) may have driven the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) into generating its own power requirements independently, particularly to maintain the integrity of its ever-expanding information communication technology (ICT) project.

In furtherance of the effort of the government to curtail the nefarious activities of illegal miners in the country, the Ministry of mines and Steel Development has purchased and distributed six surveillance vehicles to enhance the monitoring activities of mines officers at the mines sites of the country.

Oil and gas are still of great importance to future societies because we are yet to perfect the technology surrounding alternative fuels. Electric cars are still in the developmental stage and are inferior to internal combustion engines at the moment. Hydrogen is increasingly complicated and not readily available, and ethanol is expensive and scarce in large quantities. What about industrial use, electricity and power generation? The importance of oil and gas to mankind can not be over emphasized. But how many of us really care to know how crude oil is formed, explored and produced?

One thing the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is very optimistic about is the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill. In this interview, a member of the lead PIB team, Mr Abiye Membere, also the Group Executive Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, argues that various interests were taken into consideration in drafting the bill. Excerpt.

ORGANISED labour has called on the National Assembly to use the opportunity provided by the ongoing process of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, to order the genetic fingerprinting of Nigeria’s Petroleum assets to check the massive theft of the nation’s crude oil, warning that Nigeria is bleeding and needs help.

Since 1994, the Chrome Group, a leading indigenous conglomerate has been operating successfully in Nigeria. The group has over 10 active subsidiaries with interests in different sectors of the economy which include Oil and Gas, Insurance, Real Estate, the Power Sector, Telecommunications and Logistics and have so far achieved tremendous growth.

When President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law the Nigerian Content Act, on April 22, 2010, it was intended among other reasons, to build local capacity and competencies, increase indigenous participation in the oil and gas industry and boost industry contributions to the growth of Nigeria’s gross domestic product.

NATONY is one of the very successful stories of indigenous firms that have grown over time to the level of being able to compete internationally. In this interview with the Managing Director of the firm, Mr. Nath Agbonifo, in an interview told Godwin Oritse that the government is trying to politicize the law by using it to patronize its cronies. He warned that until government allowed firms that are truly involved in the oil and gas business, the law may not achieve the purpose of building indigenous capacity. Excerpts:

The concept of indigenisation is not new to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. There have been various attempts to deepen local ownership, capacity and delivery since the early 1990s. While successful in part, one of the deepest frustrations of this process has been the failure of the indigenous sector to achieve its desired potential.

FENOG, one of the indigenous contracting companies with Chevron, one of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) has broken new grounds with Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) system that can lay pipelines to as much as 60 meters below the sea.

The Federal Government sponsored Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme SURE-P has organised a three day training programme for thirty Bayelsa graduate interns as part of effort s to make them employable and self reliant.

With a vision to create value in the Nigerian oil & gas industry, especially, in fabrication and construction of off-shore structures, FPSOs, platforms, etc., Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria Limited is continuing the entrenched policy of its parent company, Samsung Heavy Industries, who, since 1974, have committed to bringing innovation to ship building, off-shore facilities like fixed off-shore platforms, FPSO, floating off-shore structures, etc.

One of the objectives of the ongoing reforms at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is to transform into a truly profitable entity, comparable to the Aramco of Saudi Arabia, or PetroBraz of Brazil, or even Angola’s Sonangol and a host of other such national oil companies.

The Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN with the support of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is coordinating the exhibition of Nigerian-based companies at the Nigeria Pavilion during the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) holding at the Reliant stadium, Houston, Texas from May 6 – 9, 2013

Toronto-listed Oando Energy Resources said full production has resumed from its Ebendo field in Nigeria following repairs to the damaged Kwale-Akri pipeline.

PIPELINE Professionals Association of Nigeria, PLAN, has kicked against removal of subsidy on petroleum products, saying it would worsen challenges being faced by the poor in the country.

A group, the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors, has decried the continuous purchase of vessels without having them checked by experts, a development that has given rise to our nation’s waters being littered with outdated and broken down vessels. Speaking to news men in Lagos, President of the group, Mr Joseph Oviero, said that if the development was not checked, this category of Nigerians will continue to run into debt.

PORT HARCOURT: FEDERAL government has been told to set target for the Joint Task Force on the crusade against illegal bunkering operations in the Niger Delta region.

Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA is set to publish a list of accredited international companies that supply Nigeria with refined petroleum products, as part of ongoing measures to sanitise and streamline the downstream operations.

BY MICHAEL EBOH

A former Chief Economic Adviser and Petroleum Minister, Mr. Philip Asiodu, Monday, called on the Federal Government to immediately commence the re-negotiation of fiscal provisions in deep offshore Production Sharing Contracts, PSC, while the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, is been awaited.

“There is a suggestion in some government circles that decisions on [...]