Sweet Crude
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.
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