Shell Nigeria has resumed production at 225,000 barrels per day Bonga field, a development that looks set to boot Nigeria’s crude oil output and exports.
The oil giant said in an emailed statement that maintenance work on the field was completed on schedule, April 8. Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) had on March 4, shut down the Bonga deepwater oilfield for turnaround maintenance.
The routine maintenance took off a significant chunk from Nigeria’s crude oil exports, as SNEPCo produces close to 200,000 barrels per day in the 225,000 barrels per day capacity Bonga field, which it operates under Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The ministry of petroleum resources in a March update said oil production dipped to 1.6 million barrels per day from 2.1 million barrels per day partly due to the shutdown of the field.The turnaround maintenance, according to Shell, involved, inspections, recertification, testing and repair of equipment as well as engineering upgrades with Nigerian companies and subsea professional playing key roles.
The resumption of production could restore over 200,000 barrels per day of crude that was deferred.
