Yemisi Izuora
Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) has commended collaborative efforts to promote safe helicopter services across Africa in a proposed Regional Action Plan.
The plan is the highlight of a workshop organised in Lagos this week by the Aviation subcommittee of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) in partnership with London-based safety advocacy group, HeliOffshore.
The two-day Offshore Helicopter Industry Safety Workshop with the theme “Developing a Regional Action Plan,” followed on from a similar session last year which SNEPCo sponsored. It also provided administrative and logistical support for this year’s conference which was sponsored by ExxonMobil. SNEPCo which pioneered Nigeria’s deepwater production at Bonga in 2005, relies on helicopter shuttles for operations and supports the workshop as part of its contributions towards safe services in Nigeria.
In an address at the opening session delivered by General Manager Contracting and Supply Chain, Charles Oranyeli, Managing Director SNEPCo, Ronald Adams said: “By developing a regional action plan, we can move beyond dialogue to alignment, ensuring that the safety leadership, industry standards, and collaborative approaches championed last year are embedded in a common roadmap for collective improvement. The most effective solutions will come not from isolated efforts, but from partnership, standardization, and coordinated action across the region.”
The workshop was attended by more than 80 representatives from oil and gas companies, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), helicopter operators and original equipment manufacturers.
The event concluded with participants deciding action items for the proposed Regional Action Plan including Search and Rescue (SAR) initiatives, implementation of IOGP Report 690 standards and establishment of formal industry leadership forums.
The IOGP has been active for over 50 years, supporting its more than 90 members around the world to promote “excellence in safe, efficient and sustainable energy.”