The 2014 edition of the Offshore Technology Conference, OTC, the
biggest annual oil and gas event in the world, which held in Houston, Texas,
from May 5 to 8th, brought to the fore the growing importance of Nigerian
companies in the oil and gas industry.
Attendance at the annual conference reached a 46-year high of
108,300, the highest in history and up by 3.3 percent from last year.
The attendance surpassed the 2013 total of 104,800 as the event
had 2,568 companies representing 43 countries, including 163 new exhibitors in
2014. International companies made up 44 percent of exhibitors.
Nigerians’ participation
Out of the number that attended the event, about 2,500 Nigerian
delegates participated. About 500 delegates registered for the panel sessions,
while 41 companies displayed their capabilities in the area of exploration,
exploitation and service provisions to the world.
“Some of the participating companies were turned down due to
space constraints,” said Geoff Onuoha, Chairman, OTC Organising Committee. He
also said that only eight Nigerian companies exhibited. This is contrary to the
long-held notion that the OTC is an annual jamboree for Nigerians.
Also corroborating the steady growth of Nigerian companies and
their attendance at the OTC, Egbert Imomoh, Chairman, Afren, a Pan African
independent oil and gas company said that Nigerians have been impressive over
the years.
“Some 15 years ago, when we were here showcasing Nigeria at the
OTC, never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that so many people
would come to OTC. Every year the number keeps increasing. I sincerely hope
those who come are extracting value from the event,” he said.
For Andrew Yakubu, Group Managing Director, Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, the OTC has afforded Nigerian companies an
opportunity to showcase to the outside world their expertise in the oil and gas
sector. In other words, Nigerians can compete favourably with their
counterparts from the advanced countries of the world.
“From what you have seen in terms of showcasing the gains of
Nigeria’s outing in the various OTCs, you will see clearly here the levels of
expertise that our indigenous companies have acquired.
“Today, they are able to participate in virtually all the entire
spectrum of the oil and gas services; drilling to well testing, and various
sub-surface diving services, subsea maintenance.
“These are expertise that were purely resident outside the
country in the past, but from the fallout of our outings, you can see clearly
that there has been very good acquisition of technologies that have enabled our
indigenous players to do these things back home without necessarily importing
these expertise from outside the country. Therefore, it has been a very good
gain to Nigeria that we have been participating since the inception of OTC in
this regard,” he said.
Companies cutting their teeth
Also speaking, EmekaEne, Chairman, Petroleum Technology
Association of Nigeria, PETAN, stated that Nigeria’s presence at the OTC is
important as the country is a key player operating in the global oil and gas
industry.
According to him, “PETAN companies first registered Nigeria’s
presence at the OTC in 1999, when we were having a hard time convincing
investors and technology providers that Nigerians were not all criminals.
“The OTC value proposition, if I may call it that for Nigeria
and by extension, PETAN can be summarised as taking advantage of a
cost-effective global policy and technology platform for pursuing our strategic
energy interests just like every other country big and small actively does.”
He explained that beyond the exhibitions, PETAN organised a full
programme of topical sessions, technical meetings and presentations that ran
throughout the week of the OTC, involving participants from the world of oil
and gas industry.
Furthermore, he argued that the Nigerian topical luncheon holds
the record as one of the most widely attended at the OTC.
Dismissing the notion that the event is a Jamboree, Ene said,
“Now a few people look at the Nigerians who congregate at the Nigerian pavilion
and conclude that this must mean that these folks have nothing better to do.
There are more Brazilians attending the OTC than Nigerians each year. It does
not strike you as an issue because they obviously blend in better with the
crowd.
“Every black person you spot walking around the arena is assumed
to be a Nigerian; but Angola, Ghana and South Africa also have large
delegations attending the OTC each year
“Across the Reliant Park, over 200 hospitality events take
place, not counting those organised in the OTC venue. Nigerians are not
involved in most of those parties.”
Ene also assured that Nigerian service companies have derived
tremendous value from exhibiting at the OTC over the years.
“I know of at least two PETAN companies that have secured export
for others at the OTC for products they manufacture in Nigeria. Many other
companies schedule regular meetings with clients and suppliers during the OTC
week.
“Some of our members now operate in places like Mauritania,
Angola, Yemen, Venezuela, South Sudan and many other provinces because of their
exposure at the OTC. The OTC gives the opportunity to meet up with all these
important stakeholders in one venue and raise Nigeria’s profile in the
process,” he said.
How exhibitors, participants feel
For Dayo Adegun, Assistant General Manager, AOS Orwell Limited,
an oil servicing company, Nigerians participation at the OTC has been
effective. He further explained that the event provided the opportunity to know
the latest technology in the oil industry.
“You can easily sight the original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs), the new technology you can deploy in the Nigerian industry. If you had
your strategy before coming to the OTC, some of your services would need new
technologies before they are deployed,” he said.
He also said the 4-day event met his expectations in such areas
as the attendance, organisation and the quality of companies in attendance.
“Most especially the level of technology on display, most of the companies at
the OTC actually bring in the needed tools. For those who don’t bring tools,
they bring the models for all to see and learn from.
“As you exhibit at the OTC, it differentiates you from the brief
case companies. People have been coming to our stands and some have signified
their interests to come to Nigeria because of the quality of operations they
have seen so far. New relationships have been built. New businesses will come
up as a result of the meetings we have had at the OTC. These will add value to
what we have been doing back home in Nigeria,” he said.
Similarly, DeboFagbami, Chief Executive Officer, Xenergi
Limited, said the OTC met his company’s expectations as many people showed
interests in what they do and want to work with them. Also, he was elated at
the new technology exhibited.
“The technology showcased has generated a lot of interests among
attendees at the conference. One of those was the optic fibre cable technology
for pipeline and facility monitoring, which checks pipeline vandalism and crude
oil theft.
“That technology has made some kind of impact. There is also the
new gas processing facility, which has elicited some interest among the
attendees. Indeed, the OTC has become a Mecca of sorts, a gathering point for
exchange of ideas and sharing of knowledge. It is good that more Nigerian
companies participate next time,” he said.
Another Nigerian company that exhibited at the event, Kaztec
Engineering Limited, believes the conference was worth its while. According to
Edwin Ndukwe, Head Communications, the OTC has provided a platform for them to
exchange ideas, learn a few things and cultivate new business relationship.
“The OTC has enabled us to showcase what we do, make new clients
and friends and move on from there. I took values of what we have existing
in-country and the projects we are already working on.
“As a 100 per cent indigenous company with the local content,
what we are doing is to ensure that we meet a 100 per cent what that law
entails, and Kaztec has been able to do that with what we are showcasing at the
Snake Island and all the branches within the Chrome Group.
“You can see that with ingenuity, with creativity, with the
innovation that is going on within the Chrome Group, we will continue to
enhance that capability and ensure that Nigerians are first clicks in the job
market. With what we have, we have been able to harness and bring in more
Nigerians from the Diaspora coming home to tap into what is going on in
Nigeria,” he added.
Record setting,
Speaking on the new attendance records, Chairman of OTC,Ed
Stokes, said,“OTC’s great success this year is yet another validation of the
great vision inspired by the founders who created the conference in 1969.”
“Clearly the deep and broad coverage of the technical program,
flanked and supported by excellent panels, executive keynote presentations,
distinguished and spotlight award winners, as well as thousands of displays of
the latest in new technology at the exhibition, continues to demonstrate the
power of collaboration from our member engineering and geo-science societies
and trade organisations moving the offshore oil and gas industry forward
safely, sustainably and with due consideration of environmental protection,” he
added.
Stokes also explained that this year’s event featured nine panel
sessions, 29 executive keynote presentations at luncheons and breakfasts, and
308 technical papers.
“Speakers from major, independent, and national operators;
federal and regional government officials; academia; and more presented their
views on a wide variety of topics while discussing views on the current
challenges and future directions of the industry,” he said.
- See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/nigerians-showcase-potential-world/#sthash.V8yjRArK.dpuf
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