East Africa the new playground

Africa’s booming offshore oil and gas industry is keeping players in this sector on their toes. According to Rob Gardner, general manager Sturrock Grindrod Offshore (SGO), the biggest game changer has been the gas find off Northern Mozambique, which is being touted as the new epicentre for global gas. “Suggested volumes which range from 100tcf through to 185tcf mean that there is enough gas there to change what is a quiet beach into a bustling economy,” he told FTW. “The focus in this industry changes all the time. We are also expecting a lot of activity off the Namibian coast in the months to come.” He said in terms of East Africa, the ports of Pemba and Palma were seen as the focal points for East Africa, with Mozambique best positioned to be first to market with the LNG. “The recent announcement of oil finds off Lamu Island near Kenya is also exciting, and with the amount of seismic survey work being carried out we expect the East African coastline to be the focus for quite some time to come. This is mainly due to major advances in offshore drilling, which enables exploration companies to drill to far deeper depths,” said Gardner. “Ten years ago East Africa was of little interest, now it’s the new playground.” With 36 owned offices in nine African countries including Ghana, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar and Kenya, SGO has seen major growth in recent years in the face of the booming oil and gas industry. With its core services to the offshore industry ranging from integrated ships agency and supply chain management to chartering, as well as project and risk management services, the company is well positioned to offer its clients a full one-stop solution. Recently SGO expanded its Cape Town offshore team and further expansion is on the way, said Gardner. “We have set up a new office in Lüderitz in Namibia and are in the process of expanding our Pemba office to accommodate the additional work that is being generated in Northern Mozambique,” he said. The company also continues to prioritise health, safety and environment and is currently in the process of obtaining its OHSAS 18001 accreditation, widely seen as the world’s most recognised occupational health and safety management systems standard. INSERT & CAPTION We are expecting a lot of activity off the Namibian coast in the months to come. – Rob Gardner